VENTURA : Repair Work Begins on Damaged Harbor

Work has begun to repair damage to the Ventura Harbor caused by last month’s heavy storms, officials said Friday.

The $1.15-million repair job involves dredging the harbor to remove silt and repairing the breakwater, which began to crumble from the pounding of heavy surf.

Dredging of the harbor entrance began Sunday, said Richard Parsons, general manager of the Ventura Port District.

The repair work comes just six months after the completion of a $7.5-million improvement project at the harbor, which included lengthening the breakwater 300 feet and extending the harbor’s north jetty.

Part of the damage was caused because the distance from the jetty to the breakwater was narrowed to 100 feet, Parsons said. That provided a narrow path for the heavy current to make its way into the harbor. As a result, a 200-foot section of the breakwater base eroded, and the rocks above it collapsed into the sea.

As part of the repair work, an underwater bench will be built between the two rock structures so heavy currents will not do similar damage in the future, Parsons said.

“I’d say it was bad luck that we got hit with a 50-year storm six months after the (improvement) work was done,” Parsons said. “These structures aren’t expected to come through that kind of exposure undamaged. I view this as fine-tuning of the project, as opposed to a design flaw.”