Posted on March 31, 2025
The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse stands atop Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz, at top, as the dredge at the Santa Cruz Harbor keeps the channel passable for vessels.
Construction of the harbor began in 1962 when the United States Congress appropriated $1.6 million for jetty construction and the dredging of the original south harbor basin.
It was completed in 1964 when 360 slips in the south harbor were dedicated.
In 2022, the Harbor District secured a new 10-year dredge permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will allow dredging operations in the federal entrance channel and inner-harbor areas to continue seasonally through 2032.
Dredging of the harbor entrance typically takes place Monday through Thursday and is required because of the constant easterly movement of sand along the coast and across the entrance to the harbor.
Such movement is generated by the ongoing forces of waves and currents and the amount of material moved and deposited is directly proportional to the severity of current and wave conditions.
The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse stands atop Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz, at top, as the dredge at the Santa Cruz Harbor keeps the channel passable for vessels. Construction of the harbor began in 1962 when the United States Congress appropriated $1.6 million for jetty construction and the dredging of the original south harbor basin. It was completed in 1964 when 360 slips in the south harbor were dedicated. In 2022, the Harbor District secured a new 10-year dredge permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will allow dredging operations in the federal entrance channel and inner-harbor areas to continue seasonally through 2032. Dredging of the harbor entrance typically takes place Monday through Thursday and is required because of the constant easterly movement of sand along the coast and across the entrance to the harbor. Such movement is generated by the ongoing forces of waves and currents and the amount of material moved and deposited is directly proportional to the severity of current and wave conditions.
