OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The Oceanside Harbor navigational dredging project concluded Monday, October 31, with the contractor reporting having dredged close to the 260,000 cubic yards identified in the contract. The Corps will conduct a post-dredging survey to more accurately determine how much material the contractor dredged within the designated dredge area.
Begun June 6, the project is part of an annual dredging cycle conducted to maintain navigational safety in the federally-maintained channels that serve Oceanside Harbor and the Del Mar Boat Basin at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
“This has been a challenging cycle,” said project manager, Scott John. “The contractor was new to this type of dredging and worked through a summer with difficult sea conditions. Even though it ran long, the contractor made a cut to the open ocean and placed a significant amount of sand on the beach.”
Although the project is authorized as a navigational dredging project, it offers the added benefit of providing beach-quality material along nearly 3,300 feet of shoreline from just south of the San Luis Rey River outlet south to the Oceanside Pier. This sand placement increases the protection of homes and businesses along The Strand and helps maintain the beach that is so beneficial for recreation and to the city’s economy.