DANA POINT : Harbor Dredged to Ensure Safe Boating

The tall crane that has dominated the skyline in Dana Point Harbor will continue dredging through the first week in August, county officials say.

The crane with the “clamshell” bucket on its arm has been removing sand from several shallow spots, said Larry Paul, manager of coastal facilities for the county. The cost of the seven-week project is about $437,000, Paul said.

Periodic dredging is necessary for the safety of about 3,000 recreational and commercial boats that use the 20-year-old harbor, Paul said.

“We constantly monitor the harbor bottom until we get an accumulation sufficient to justify the cost of a project like this,” Paul said. “It’s not an exact science. But we don’t want to have a low tide and a keel stuck in a shoal.”

Over time, silt from storm drains and sand that has sifted through the breakwaters build up in certain areas of the 20-foot deep harbor.

Recent surveys revealed the need for dredging at the entrance to the east harbor basin as well as at the fishing dock and fuel dock areas, Paul said.

But most of the buildup occurred on the west side of the outermost breakwater, he said.

Before work begins, a sample of materials from various points on the harbor’s bottom is taken and sent to labs for analysis.

“Basically, what we have there is sand and clay and silty material,” Paul said. “But we go through six or seven regulatory agencies before the material is disposed of.”

During the course of the project, about 40,000 cubic yards of this material will be lifted from the bottom, deposited on a neighboring barge and then shipped to an approved dump site 12 miles off Newport Beach, Paul said.