Oceanside harbor dredging finishes early, short of goal

11:31 AM

OCEANSIDE — Health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with rough weather, forced this year’s Oceanside harbor dredging project to wrap up earlier than expected, well short of its intended goal of 400,000 cubic yards of sand.

The contractor, Manson Construction, pulled up anchor March 21 after dredging about 250,000 cubic yards of material, which is closer to average amount removed most years during the annual spring cleaning of the harbor entrance and channel.

“As it got to the end, they went from three shifts, 24 hours a day, down to one shift a day,” said Oceanside Harbor Division Manager Ted Shiafone. “A lot of employees went home to be with their families.”

Manson, based in Long Beach, posted a statement on its website that says while it is considered an essential business, its employees strive to follow the state’s directives for “shelter in place” during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Oceanside work took place during the March rains, and rough seas also may have hindered the operations, Shiafone said. Still, most of the sand taken from the harbor was placed south of the pier, where the eroded beaches needed it most.

“They got farther south on the beach with sand than they have in many years, past Tyson Park,” said Shiafone, adding that city officials found that encouraging.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the harbor maintenance, had said the harbor channel would be dredged to a depth of 30 feet for the first time this year. However, the federal agency was unable to obtain a permit for the new depth, and instead it reached only the previous depth of 25 feet.

The Corps will continue to pursue the 30-foot permit for the next dredging, Shiafone said.

Dena O’Dell, deputy chief of public affairs for the Corps, said last week that Manson stopped the dredging “while factoring in all the current conditions,” including the “anticipation of an extended period of inclement weather.”

Federal officials will continue to monitor the harbor to ensure safe navigation, she said. If the passage becomes dangerous for any reason, the agency could authorize an emergency dredging, which it did in the fall of 2018.

Harbor operations, like many other activities throughout California and the United States, have been limited in recent weeks by precautions against the spread of COVID-19. Most of the businesses in the small harbor village next to the marina have closed, restaurants are limited to sales of take-out food, and the popular charter fishing and sightseeing companies have suspended their trips.

Public parking at the harbor and nearby beaches is closed or limited to promote the physical distancing recommended in most places across the country.

Oceanside and state beaches in Carlsbad, Encinitas and elsewhere were among the few places that still allowed limited access to the beaches until they tightened restrictions over the weekend, prohibiting access.

Oceanside, like most other cities in the county, posts daily updates on its website about COVID-19 developments.

Updates:

12:48 PM, Apr. 05, 2020: This story has been updated to say that Oceanside beaches were closed over the weekend.