The horseshoe shaped harbor contains 166 acres (0.67 km2) of water surrounded by 126 acres (0.51 km2) of land[5] and supports more than 2,500 vessels,[6] four yacht clubs, and nine full-service marinas.[7] The five Channel Islands are a popular destination, the closest of which is Anacapa Island.[4] The Ventura County Maritime Museum has a regularly rotating exhibit, maritime-themed art, and model ships. Water taxis are available to drop diners and shoppers at various docks within the harbor.[8] Every three years the harbor is host to the Channel Islands Tall Ships Festival[9] which includes between two and five large sailing vessels and draws thousands of visitors.[6]
The US Army Corps of Engineers formed the harbor in 1960 by scooping out sand dunes and wetlands at the edge of Oxnard Plain and depositing the surplus sand at the nearby beaches of Port Hueneme.[6] The sand trap at the harbor entrance was designed to retain sand that otherwise might be diverted into the ocean due to the impacts of the construction of the Port of Hueneme.[10] The sand was to be regularly dredged and placed on Hueneme Beach which suffers erosion due to the port blocking the littoral drift of sand.[11]
While the County of Ventura arranged to oversee the harbor and manage it in 1963, they formed an agreement with the City of Oxnard to annex the then vacant county land and provide sewage service, water and utilities. The city built the infrastructure and under the agreement began to receive sales, property and lodging tax revenues.[12] After the annexation agreement between the county and city had expired, the city stopped keeping up the parks, parking lots and restrooms in public areas in 2018.[13] They also were no longer going to pay the water bills for these facilities.[14] Oxnard harbor residents also elected to end payments to harbor patrol which ended an annual revenue stream.[15] The Mandalay Generating Station closed in 2018 which circulated water as part of the power plant's cooling process.[16]
Operation and facilitiesedit
Ventura County Harbor Department patrols the main harbor which is south of the Channel Islands Boulevard bridges. The city of Oxnard maintains the northern neighborhood waterways.[17]
The harbor is part of Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program.[18]
Neighborhood and destinationsedit
The harbor waters connect to the north with Mandalay Bay, a residential waterfront development built in 1972 consisting of over 700 boat dock homes. Additional developments expanded the Harbor in the 2000s.[19] The development consists of single-family homes and townhouses with reinforced concrete bulkheads lining a series of short navigable canal-like waterways.[20] Between 1950 and 1981 Mandalay Bay was a permitted oil field waste disposal site which caused the release of numerous hazardous chemicals.[21] The records of what was dumped were subsequently lost, resulting in calls for an investigation and millions of dollars in lawsuits from home buyers who were told the area was safe for habitation.[22]
^Herron, William J.; Harris, Robert L. (1966) LITTORAL BYPASSING AND BEACH RESTORATION IN THE VICINITY OF PORT HUENEME CALIFORNIA Proceedings of 10th Conference on Coastal Engineering, Tokyo, Japan
^ abTravis, William, ed. (2006). Fodor's Southern California (Second ed.). New York: Random House. p. 385. ISBN978-1-4000-1603-7.
^Smith, Patricia (1998). (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
^ abcMcKinney, John (2005). California's coastal parks: a day hiker's guide (1st ed.). Berkeley, CA: Wilderness press. p. 78. ISBN0-89997-388-4.
^Harris, Elanor; Lichtig, Claudia Harris (2006). Quick escapes Los Angeles: 20 weekend getaways from the metro area (7th ed.). Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 124. ISBN978-0-7627-4219-6.
^Marcum, Diana (July 4, 1999). "Water Taxi! Water Taxi!". Los Angeles Times.
^"Tall Ships Relocate to Channel Islands Harbor Through Feb. 15th". Ventura Harbor Village. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^Meyers, Jeff (November 1, 1990) "An Era of Sail Lies Anchored in Two Harbors : Boating: Ventura County shoreline took on greater appeal with construction of marinas in Ventura and Oxnard." Los Angeles Times
^(September 8, 2014) "Dredging at Channel Islands Harbor will begin Oct. 1" Ventura County Star
^Wilson, Kathleen (February 17, 2019). "County stuck with $500K maintenance bill at Channel Islands Harbor". Ventura County Star. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
^"County of Ventura and City of Oxnard Reach Cooperation Agreement for Channel Islands Harbor" (Press release). Channel Islands Harbor. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
^Wilson, Kathleen (March 3, 2019). "New Oxnard city manager Alex Nguyen says county's comments on harbor wrong-headed". Ventura County Star. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
^Leung, Wendy (February 29, 2020). "With budget slashed, Channel Islands Harbor Fourth of July fireworks show in danger". Ventura County Star. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
^Varela, Brian J. (January 6, 2024). "Residents at odds with Oxnard over water testing costs for Channel Islands Harbor". Ventura County Star. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
^Varela, Brian J. (January 12, 2023). "Rain brings tricky trash problem to Channel Islands Harbor". Ventura County Star. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
^Varela, Brian J. (March 13, 2024). "In Channel Islands Harbor, sea bass have a place to grow". Ventura County Star. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^Boyd-Barrett, Claudia (Jun 27, 2014) "Oxnard harbor-area residents push for central authority" Ventura County Star
^"Oxnard Condo Development to Get Start". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. March 29, 1987. p. Section 8 p.14.
^Public Meeting Fact Sheet (October 2005) "Cleanup Proposal for North Shore at Mandalay Bay Site—Oxnard, California" 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Retrieved 2 August 2014
^McCartney, Patrick (November 10, 1991). "Flynn Calls for Mandalay Bay Investigation : Oxnard: At issue is whether all traces of a landfill and oil-waste dump were removed before the waterfront housing was built". Los Angeles Times.
^Biasotti, Tony (Apr 3, 2013) "Much-delayed Channel Islands Boating Center opens in Oxnard" Ventura County Star
^Wilson, Kathleen (July 21, 2016). "County balks at agreement for boating center, saying university operator has fallen short". Ventura County Star. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
^Rivers, Kimberly (March 18, 2021). "Residents Protect Nesting Birds | Channel Islands Harbor gathering saves tree used by herons, egrets". VC Reporter. Times Media Group. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ports and harbours in California.
April 27, 2024
channel, islands, harbor, small, craft, harbor, shore, protection, project, oxnard, california, southern, santa, barbara, channel, fifth, largest, harbor, small, craft, recreation, state, california, waterfront, resort, recreation, dining, marketplace, recreat. Channel Islands Harbor is a small craft harbor 2 and shore protection project 3 in Oxnard California at the southern end of the Santa Barbara Channel It is the fifth largest harbor for small craft recreation in the state of California 4 and is a waterfront resort recreation and dining marketplace Recreational activities include diving boat charters sea kayaking sportfishing and whale watching gray whales January through early April blue and humpback whales July to September Channel Islands HarborScene from commercial fishing boat unloading pier facing southeast with hotel in backgroundClick on the map for a fullscreen viewLocationCountryUnited StatesLocationOxnard CaliforniaCoordinates34 10 12 N 119 13 30 W 34 17 N 119 225 W 34 17 119 225DetailsOpened1960 64 years ago 1960 Owned byCounty of Ventura 1 Type of harbourArtificialSize of harbour166 acres 67 ha Land area126 acres 51 ha No of berths2 150StatisticsWebsitechannelislandsharbor wbr org The horseshoe shaped harbor contains 166 acres 0 67 km2 of water surrounded by 126 acres 0 51 km2 of land 5 and supports more than 2 500 vessels 6 four yacht clubs and nine full service marinas 7 The five Channel Islands are a popular destination the closest of which is Anacapa Island 4 The Ventura County Maritime Museum has a regularly rotating exhibit maritime themed art and model ships Water taxis are available to drop diners and shoppers at various docks within the harbor 8 Every three years the harbor is host to the Channel Islands Tall Ships Festival 9 which includes between two and five large sailing vessels and draws thousands of visitors 6 Contents 1 History 2 Operation and facilities 3 Neighborhood and destinations 4 ReferencesHistory editThe US Army Corps of Engineers formed the harbor in 1960 by scooping out sand dunes and wetlands at the edge of Oxnard Plain and depositing the surplus sand at the nearby beaches of Port Hueneme 6 The sand trap at the harbor entrance was designed to retain sand that otherwise might be diverted into the ocean due to the impacts of the construction of the Port of Hueneme 10 The sand was to be regularly dredged and placed on Hueneme Beach which suffers erosion due to the port blocking the littoral drift of sand 11 While the County of Ventura arranged to oversee the harbor and manage it in 1963 they formed an agreement with the City of Oxnard to annex the then vacant county land and provide sewage service water and utilities The city built the infrastructure and under the agreement began to receive sales property and lodging tax revenues 12 After the annexation agreement between the county and city had expired the city stopped keeping up the parks parking lots and restrooms in public areas in 2018 13 They also were no longer going to pay the water bills for these facilities 14 Oxnard harbor residents also elected to end payments to harbor patrol which ended an annual revenue stream 15 The Mandalay Generating Station closed in 2018 which circulated water as part of the power plant s cooling process 16 Operation and facilities editVentura County Harbor Department patrols the main harbor which is south of the Channel Islands Boulevard bridges The city of Oxnard maintains the northern neighborhood waterways 17 The harbor is part of Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program 18 Neighborhood and destinations editThe harbor waters connect to the north with Mandalay Bay a residential waterfront development built in 1972 consisting of over 700 boat dock homes Additional developments expanded the Harbor in the 2000s 19 The development consists of single family homes and townhouses with reinforced concrete bulkheads lining a series of short navigable canal like waterways 20 Between 1950 and 1981 Mandalay Bay was a permitted oil field waste disposal site which caused the release of numerous hazardous chemicals 21 The records of what was dumped were subsequently lost resulting in calls for an investigation and millions of dollars in lawsuits from home buyers who were told the area was safe for habitation 22 The Channel Islands Boating Center opened in 2013 23 24 Great blue herons and white egrets nest in trees around the harbor 25 nbsp Channel Islands Harbor from west side looking east in the late afternoon towards peninsula in center of harbor References edit Channel Islands Harbor Website About Us Harbor Information Accessed 24 Dec 2013 United States Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division 1973 Water resources development by the U S Army Corps of Engineers in California University of California Libraries p 89 ISBN 978 1 125 52499 2 Herron William J Harris Robert L 1966 LITTORAL BYPASSING AND BEACH RESTORATION IN THE VICINITY OF PORT HUENEME CALIFORNIA Proceedings of 10th Conference on Coastal Engineering Tokyo Japan a b Travis William ed 2006 Fodor s Southern California Second ed New York Random House p 385 ISBN 978 1 4000 1603 7 Smith Patricia 1998 Channel Islands Harbor Master Plan PDF Archived from the original PDF on October 3 2011 Retrieved May 1 2011 a b c McKinney John 2005 California s coastal parks a day hiker s guide 1st ed Berkeley CA Wilderness press p 78 ISBN 0 89997 388 4 Harris Elanor Lichtig Claudia Harris 2006 Quick escapes Los Angeles 20 weekend getaways from the metro area 7th ed Guilford CT Globe Pequot Press pp 124 ISBN 978 0 7627 4219 6 Marcum Diana July 4 1999 Water Taxi Water Taxi Los Angeles Times Tall Ships Relocate to Channel Islands Harbor Through Feb 15th Ventura Harbor Village Retrieved December 29 2022 Meyers Jeff November 1 1990 An Era of Sail Lies Anchored in Two Harbors Boating Ventura County shoreline took on greater appeal with construction of marinas in Ventura and Oxnard Los Angeles Times September 8 2014 Dredging at Channel Islands Harbor will begin Oct 1 Ventura County Star Wilson Kathleen February 17 2019 County stuck with 500K maintenance bill at Channel Islands Harbor Ventura County Star Retrieved February 18 2019 County of Ventura and City of Oxnard Reach Cooperation Agreement for Channel Islands Harbor Press release Channel Islands Harbor May 19 2021 Retrieved May 20 2021 Wilson Kathleen March 3 2019 New Oxnard city manager Alex Nguyen says county s comments on harbor wrong headed Ventura County Star Retrieved March 3 2019 Leung Wendy February 29 2020 With budget slashed Channel Islands Harbor Fourth of July fireworks show in danger Ventura County Star Retrieved March 2 2020 Varela Brian J January 6 2024 Residents at odds with Oxnard over water testing costs for Channel Islands Harbor Ventura County Star Retrieved January 6 2024 Varela Brian J January 12 2023 Rain brings tricky trash problem to Channel Islands Harbor Ventura County Star Retrieved January 17 2023 Varela Brian J March 13 2024 In Channel Islands Harbor sea bass have a place to grow Ventura County Star Retrieved February 14 2024 Boyd Barrett Claudia Jun 27 2014 Oxnard harbor area residents push for central authority Ventura County Star Oxnard Condo Development to Get Start The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles California March 29 1987 p Section 8 p 14 Public Meeting Fact Sheet October 2005 Cleanup Proposal for North Shore at Mandalay Bay Site Oxnard California Archived 2016 03 04 at the Wayback Machine State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control Retrieved 2 August 2014 McCartney Patrick November 10 1991 Flynn Calls for Mandalay Bay Investigation Oxnard At issue is whether all traces of a landfill and oil waste dump were removed before the waterfront housing was built Los Angeles Times Biasotti Tony Apr 3 2013 Much delayed Channel Islands Boating Center opens in Oxnard Ventura County Star Wilson Kathleen July 21 2016 County balks at agreement for boating center saying university operator has fallen short Ventura County Star Retrieved July 22 2016 Rivers Kimberly March 18 2021 Residents Protect Nesting Birds Channel Islands Harbor gathering saves tree used by herons egrets VC Reporter Times Media Group Retrieved March 23 2021 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ports and harbours in California Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Channel Islands Harbor amp oldid 1216715076, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
