USACE to dredge portion of federal channel in Southern San Diego Bay

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Los Angeles District, in coordination with the Port of San Diego, will perform maintenance dredging in a portion of the federal channel at the southern end of San Diego Bay beginning mid-February.

The purpose of the work is to re-establish authorised channel depths of 10 metres mean lower low water (MLLW). The channel has not been dredged since 1976.

Curtin Maritime Corporation of Long Beach, California, was awarded the US$2.9 million contract to perform the work, which will be done with a clamshell dredger. The estimated date of completion is March 31.

The area that will be dredged is about 1,700 metres in length and nearly 39 hectares, adjacent to the National City Marine Terminal and Sweetwater Channel, and is located about three nautical miles southeast of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

About 180,000 cubic metres of sediment will be removed from the channel, with about 130,000 cubic metres being disposed of at the LA-5 Ocean Dredge Material Disposal Site, located six nautical miles southwest of the entrance of San Diego Bay.

The remaining 49,000 cubic metres of sand will be taken to the Coronado Nearshore Placement Site to nourish the adjacent Silver Strand State Beach. Placement of beach-quality material along the shoreline is a beneficial byproduct of the maintenance dredging project.

Additionally, the USACE and the Port of San Diego are coordinating with the US Navy to ensure the placement of the sand does not impede ongoing military operations.