SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —Three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District leaders toured several ports and civil works project sites June 3 – 6 along the central coast of California.

Col. Andrew Baker, LA District commander, joined the LA District’s Deputy Engineer Justin Gay and Navigation Branch Chief Charles “Steve” Dwyer to meet with city mayors, council representatives, harbor masters and other stakeholders during the visit to discuss current dredging operations and promote the district’s engineering and construction capabilities as a necessity to supply chain resilience and waterway navigation.

“If safe navigation is not maintained, container ships cannot get in and out; this trade is essential to our nation’s economy,” said Dwyer a 55-year LA District subject-matter expert. “We bring decades of experience in dredging and maintaining navigation infrastructure.”

The LA District supports West Coast supply chains, waterway navigation and beach nourishment through extensive dredging operations along the coast of central California. The district also supports California with a wide variety of planning projects, engineering, construction and environmental services. Projects include flood-risk management, navigation safety, recreation, and infrastructure and environmental stewardship.

DAY 1: PORTS-A-PLENTY

The LA District leadership team started their harbor tour at the Oxnard Harbor District’s Port of Hueneme (pronounced “why-neme”).

Port of Hueneme Director and CEO Kristin Decas and Chief Operations Officer Christina Birdsey presented an extensive historical review of the port’s impact to the West Coast supply chain. According to Birdsey, the Oxnard Harbor District is the fifth largest importer of refrigerated goods and the sixth largest vehicle importer/exporter in the U.S.

“I think people saw during COVID how important ports are to the supply chain, and the terms of ‘supply chain’ and ‘logistics’ became important because they saw their shelfs become empty,” Birdsey said.

The Port of Hueneme regularly dredges to ensure cargo ships are not grounded.

“Dredging is important because people and goods can safely navigate in and out of our harbors,” said Dwyer, a University of Southern California graduate.

Immediately following the Port of Hueneme tour, the USACE team traveled north to take a boat tour of the Channel Island Harbor District.

According to the Channel Island Harbor District official website, it was built as a recreational harbor in the 1960s and 1970s on 310 acres of land and water, with approximately 2,150 boat slips, as well as marina facilities, restaurants, sportfishing facilities and shops.

The team concluded the day with a visit to a third harbor district, the Ventura Port Harbor District, to discuss future dredging operations and the importance of maximizing the use of dredging material to nourish nearby beaches.

DAY 2: PORTS OF WATER AND SPACE

The next day, Baker and the USACE team met Santa Barbara Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon and the Santa Barbara harbor master before touring the harbor.

“These periodic visits and meetings are very effective in showing the local sponsors and local communities our support, while also bringing visibility to the important work of my Navigation Branch,” said Dwyer, a part-time teacher at USC’s School of Architecture. “Both Justin and Col. Baker saw how happy our local sponsors are with what the LA District Navigation Branch provides.”

After touring the coastal port, the USACE team visited the Vandenberg Space Force Base, also known as “Space Country,” June 4 where they met with Vandenberg Space Force Base departments to discuss the “Spaceport of the Future” program and national defense projects

“I love the dynamic nature of the work at the resident office,” said Matthew Hall, a project engineer stationed at Vandenberg’s USACE field office. “I get to collaborate with three different military branches across multiple agencies throughout various districts, states and time zones.”

Vandenberg is the U.S. Space Force’s West Coast spaceport and test range. The base is one of two high-capacity spaceports for the U.S., providing strategic space access capabilities that deliver on-orbit systems for global space operations.

“I truly believe in the programs we support, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by dedicated professionals who make it all happen,” said Hall, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and an active-duty officer of 11 years.

DAY 3: PORT SAN LUIS AND MORRO BAY

On Day 3 of the port and site project visits, the LA District team started their morning at the Port San Luis Harbor District in Avilla Beach, California.

The Port San Luis Harbor boat tour took the team around Hartford Pier, or Pier 3, where the LA District completed a breakwater repair project October 2023. Pier 3 was constructed in 1873 and still features fish markets and a restaurant.

“Doing visits like this is one of the reasons I’m still working,” said Dwyer, who holds two master’s degrees: one in urban development and another in computer science. “I could have retired 10 years ago.”

From Pier 3, the USACE team traveled half an hour north to Morro Bay.

“An annual maintenance dredging project was completed June 4,” said LA District project manager Blake Horita in a Morro Bay dredging project update. “Material was placed in near-shore placement, located south of the harbor.”

According to the Morro Bay City official website, Morro Rock, a state historic landmark located along the coast of Morro Bay, was an important navigational aid for mariners for over 300 years because the rock is approximately 576 feet tall.

“Most people have no awareness of the role we play in maintaining safe navigation, but the people who are aware are very appreciative,” Dwyer said.

DAY 4: A FISH LADDER BUT NO PORTS

Day 4 project site visits were different from the previous three days.

Although the entire trip’s primary focus was on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ commitment to safe harbor dredging operations, the team scheduled an important meeting with the Ventura County Public Works Agency.

During a tour with the Ventura County Public Works, the LA District team was joined by its emergency management chief, David Kingston, to discuss potential flood-mitigation projects for the county. The district’s emergency management team works closely with counties to coordinate projects and recommend mitigation methods before natural disasters.

The last stop of the district’s four-day project site tour was to the Ventura County fish ladder project, where USACE built a structure that allows steelhead trout to migrate upstream to access their historic spawning waters. Even the endangered fish species can count on the LA District to support its water navigation infrastructure.

In total, the LA District team toured nine projects and ports and is committed to harbor dredging operations to ensure supplies travel safely and easily through central coastal California waterways.

For more information about LA District’s programs and projects, visit www.spl.usace.army.mil.