Dredging underway to clear the Santa Barbara Harbor entrance

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The annual dredging of the Santa Barbara harbor has begun with a stream of silty water shooting out from a location halfway down the beach front.

The process involves the dredge boat doing its work in the harbor entrance where currents dump tons of sand each year. At times it has blocked many boats from getting in and out until the dredging work takes place.

The clearing operation moves the water and sand through a large black pipe visible from West Beach to a site nearly at East Beach.

The sand is shot out with the water and eventually the currents take hold again, moving everything down the coast to replenish beaches there.

A harbor staff report says, The US Army Corps of Engineers has contracted with Pacific Dredge & Construction for the dredging operations. Pacific Dredge mobilized on April 6, 2021 for our spring cycle with dredging to start on April 9, 2021 for seven to ten days.

The area is cordoned off to the public.

Hundreds of birds have found it a popular spot and are gathering there to inspect what's coming out of the pipe.