$13 Million MdR Dredging Project Under Way

Byline: Taylor Hill MARINA DEL REY — Large dredging equipment was moved into Marina del Rey April 5 to begin a $13 million dredging project that will deepen Marina del Rey’s north and south harbor entrances. Since the last dredging project in 1999, more than 1 million cubic yards of sediment from Ballona Creek and nearby beaches has settled around the channel entrance, leading to navigation hazards. “We get probably 20 to 30 boats in the summertime that will actually run aground, so we’ll go and we’ll have to tow them off,” Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Brian Hogue told an ABC 7 News reporter. The shoaling has also raised concerns about the ability of the area’s first responders to get in and out of the harbor in emergency situations. An 87-foot Coast Guard cutter is stationed in Marina del Rey, and it could be limited in its ability to enter and exit the harbor in low-tide situations. “It’s incredibly important, from a boating safety standpoint,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. “Our entire fleet of Baywatch — our fire department — boats, the Coast Guard and our harbor patrol boats are all inside the marina. But the sediment’s built up out here, outside...