West Coast Projects
- Long Beach, CA – Redevelopment
- Long Beach, CA
- 1 Port redevelopment
- Completed on schedule
- Second busiest port in the U.S.
Long Beach with its longstanding as the second busiest port in the country is vital to the flow of goods from the Pacific into the US. This project on Pier E Berth E22 involved both demolition and construction. The planning and execution between the crew and materials needed were essential to focus on throughout this project.
Amber’s role was field engineer on this project. As the engineer, we were involved in the demolition of a concrete wharf, dredging material with placement into a fill area, rock dike construction, construction of a new pile-supported concrete wharf, and installation of wharf utilities.
Larkspur, CA – Ferry terminal Dredging
About
The inner and outer harbor channels of the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, a key port for California’s dry bulk imports, were dredged in 2022 in coordination with the USACE San Francisco District. Managed by Amber Harden, the project used two mechanical clamshell dredges shared across three Bay Area sites–Richmond, Larkspur, and Oakland– requiring precise scheduling and coordination.
Environmental training led by an on-site biologist helped protect nearby seagrass beds. The project was completed efficiently and without ecological impact.
- Larkspur Ferry Terminal, CA
- USACE – San Francisco
- 2022
- Amber
OCEANSIDE HARBOR, CA – MAINTENANCE DREDGING
- California
- USACE
- 2022
- Amber
Oceanside Harbor boasts of being a summer destination and can do so because of yearly dredge operations. This project was completed with USACE Los Angeles District in 2022. Amber was the lead engineer, utilizing a cutter suction dredge throughout the project.
This cutter dredge excavates between 200,000 and 300,000 yards each year. The dredged sand was then used to replenish the beach. On this project, grunions were the main species concern and all project personnel were trained to spot these animals.
RICHMOND, CA – MAINTENANCE DREDGING
The Richmond Terminal operates as a quick access and efficient port. It is just nine miles from San Fransisco, is easily accessible through its wide channel, and is quickly accessible by land through two transcontinental railroads.
This project helped reinforce the base of the channel for ease and maneuverability for vessels coming through the terminal berth. This was accomplished using a clamshell dredge to remove excess sediment. As Lead Engineer, Amber oversaw all maintenance and execution of dredge operations during the project.
This maintenance dredging project dredged approximately 2M cubic yards. of material using the clamshell dredge. The excess sediment was repurposed for the restoration of the Montezuma Wetlands. The crew was trained in all biological concerns on the project.
- Richmond Terminal, CA
- Dredged 200,000 cubic yards
- Improved vessel maneuverability and access
- Amber Harden
Hueneme, CA – Deepening and Reconstruction
- Port Hueneme, CA
- 20,000 yd³ of sediment removed
- Deepened berths to -40 feet
- Expert Engineers
About
Hueneme is a welcoming port for vessels carrying heavy loads in both the agriculture sector and general cargo. In this project, the objective was to deepen the berths by -40 feet and construct them into a channel.
This change would allow for the flow of vessels to be more efficient minimizing wait time. The field engineer on this project aided in the planning then execution of the removal and replacement of nearly 20,000 cubic yards of sediment. The project also required construction and removal of temporary K-Rail, and fence; demolition, [including removal and disposal of fender piles, fender systems (whales, chocks, rubber fender elements, hardware, etcetera), concrete, cleats, bollards, snubbing bars, and safety ladders; installation of steel sheet piles, composite fender piles, cell fenders, and bollards; new safety ladders; concrete curb and fascia repairs, bollard foundations; concrete deck repair; dredging, armor stone removal replacement and salvage as required to perform sheet pile wall installation; and installation and removal of the temporary deck-mounted bollard.
Oakland, CA – MAINTENANCE DREDGING
- Oakland, CA
- USACE
- 2019
- Amber
This project involved maintenance dredging of the Oakland Harbor channel, a vital route handling 99% of containerized goods for Northern California and managing approximately 100,000 TEUs monthly. Members of the CES team removed 760,000 cubic yards of material to a depth of -50 feet using a clamshell dredge, with excess sediment disposed of at designated deep ocean and upland sites.
Amber served as the field engineer in 2019, ensuring operations ran smoothly while maintaining environmental compliance. She received on-site training from a biologist to avoid impacting seagrass beds and protected species throughout the project.
VENTURA HARBOR, CA – MAINTENANCE DREDGING
About
This project was completed with USACE Los Angeles District in 2022. Amber was the lead engineer on this project. The equipment used throughout the project was a cutter suction dredge.
All staff was trained by the Environmental Subcontractor to enhance alertness towards environmental hazards and to take precautions towards specific species.
The species specific to Ventura Harbor were the California brown pelican, California grunion, steelhead trout and tidewater goby. The project went smoothly without ecological impact or delay.
This was a recurring maintenance dredging project.
- Ventura Harbor, CA
- USACE LA District
- 2022
- Amber Harden
Explore Gulf Coast Projects
Longboat Key, FL – Management of dredge
Longboat key coastline is in consistent aid in maintaining its ever-decreasing coastlines. The specific stretch of Greer Island spit was the canal we maintained. CES was a consultant for Firstline Coastal.
New Orleans, LA – Maintenance
The Mississippi River’s south pass required ample amounts of data collection and surveying. The south pass had not been dredged in twelve years due to a recent hurricane in 2021 and needed immense work.
Tampa, FL – Maintenance Dredging
The port of Tampa is increasing its capacity by the year, its record is 33 million tons of cargo in a calendar year. The port also boasts of its accessibility to the I-4 corridor, supplying the demanding industries of construction and e-commerce.