Sand Question Stalls Navy Land Transfer

The Port Hueneme City Council has again delayed the transfer of surplus military land to the Oxnard Harbor District.

The council postponed action Wednesday night until the city receives word it will get sufficient sand for its municipal beach to prevent serious erosion problems, said Tom Figg, community services director.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has offered to dredge 350,000 cubic yards of sand in addition to 900,000 cubic yards being scooped from the ocean floor as part of a replenishment project scheduled to end in about 10 days, he said.

However, the additional work is contingent upon the Navy paying about a fifth of the cost. A Navy spokesman told the council Wednesday night that it is unclear whether the money is available.

Harbor district representatives said two prospective tenants have pulled out because of the delay in conveying the land. The tiny port is to receive about 20 acres of the unused 33-acre Navy site adjacent to the beach.

However, the contractor conducting the dredging work said earlier this week that reductions in the amount of sand placed on the beach in recent years have led to instability of part of the sea wall on the Navy land.

The city is reluctant to inherit a potentially expensive liability without assurances it will receive enough sand, Figg said. “If we don’t see an increase in the 900,000 cubic yards of sand that is being dredged, we’re facing an even more critical situation two years from now,” he said.

Harbor officials issued a statement Thursday calling the erosion and the land deal “unrelated issues.” If the city won’t change its stance, the district may go to court for an arbitration hearing, said Executive Director William J. Buenger.

“It’s unfortunate that we must start this process, but the unreasonable actions of the city demand a hearing,” he said.

Recent legislation mandates that the federal government assume responsibility for providing sand, but the city questions the value of such a law when the agencies responsible for doing the work lack the financial resources to carry it out, Figg said.

Representatives from the city and the harbor district will meet in an attempt to resolve the impasse, Figg said. In addition, the council is ready to hold a special session to approve the land transfer as soon as more sand is forthcoming.