Marina Dredging Begins This Week

Plans to dredge the Marina del Rey harbor will begin later this week, barring any unforeseen circumstances, according to a Department of Beaches and Harbors spokesperson.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the dredging that will transport about 75,000 and 140,000 cubic yards of clean sand to Redondo Beach and Dockweiler State Beach, respectively.

The sand brought to Redondo Beach will first be stored in a pit south-southwest of the Topaz groin. From there, clean sand would be pumped onto the beach between Topaz and Ruby groins. Extra sand would be stored in the pit until needed.

"It is not white sand," said Beaches and Harbors spokeswoman Carol Baker. "It is dark sand, and that's because it's been submerged for so long ... With exposure to elements, it becomes bleached out, just like all the other sand on the beach."

Polluted soil from Marina del Rey, which makes up about two-thirds of the sediment and contains toxic chemicals like lead, mercury and zinc, will fill the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project—a nine-year, $1.2 billion upgrade that will combine two antiquated shipping terminals in the Port of Long Beach into one, improving air quality and cargo accessibility.

The port expansion will create about 14,000 jobs and save about $85 million and 42,000 truck trips that would have been necessary to dump the sediment at inland sites, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.

“This partnership was a once in a lifetime opportunity and the timing is perfect—Marina del Rey needs to get rid of sediment and Long Beach needs sediment,” he said on his website.

The marina was last dredged in 1999, and officials estimate that about 1 million cubic yards of sediment from Ballona Creek and surrounding beaches have caused shoaling at the mouth of the harbor. The project, which officials expected to start in January, will deepen the marina’s north and south entrances.

The county will pay $5.3 million for the project and the Corps of Engineers will contribute $7.7 million—a $2.4 million increase in funding from its original commitment. Long Beach is expected to chip in to move about 100,000 cubic yards of material. These funds will cover the cost of removing only about half of the sediment. 

The dredge Paula Lee is scheduled to arrive in the harbor on Wednesday afternoon. 

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