The Channel Islands Harbor is the fifth largest harbor in the state of California and is a waterfront resort, recreation, and dining marketplace. The horse-shoe shaped harbor contains 166 acres of water surrounded by 126 acres of land and supports more than 2,500 vessels, four yacht clubs, and nine full-service marinas. The harbor waters connect to four residential communities including Seabridge, Westport, Mandalay Bay and Harbour Island.
In June of 2018, the harbor experienced a water degradation event, resulting in brown, murky water and some marine life death. The City quickly mobilized, forming a response team and setting up a hotline number for residents to report issues and concerns. City staff began performing daily water quality testing in 26 locations for dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity and pH. Additionally, bacteria testing has been completed and all results have come back within state standards and there is no threat to public health and safety. The water quality testing results can be found on the map below.
Water quality sampling in the harbor waters around the Seabridge, Westport, Mandalay Bay and Harbour Island districts ended in June of 2024. The Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan project was awarded to Craftwater Engineering which began analyses in June of 2024. This project will analyze the current conditions of the harbor and provide mitigation strategies to improve and maintain the harbor waters. Read about the full scope of services on the link below.
Water Quality Reports
Remote Sensor Reading
Continuous water monitoring in the affected areas concluded December of 2023. To provide transparent data, the City has posted the readings from the two (2) remote sensors that were located throughout the Channel Islands Harbor in the link below. The data was downloaded from each sensor on a weekly basis. Each graph displayed indicated the location of the sensor, i.e. Mandalay West (station 20), and shows both the Dissolved Oxygen and Chlorophyll readings (vertical axes) for the designated time frame (bottom axis.) Dissolved Oxygen and Chlorophyll were being monitored to assist with the anticipation of any additional degradation in the water which could include a potential algal bloom. The data was regularly reviewed by Aquatic Bioassay & Consulting, who then notified the City of any emerging issues indicated by the water quality monitoring.
Clean Water Team
The Channel Islands Neighborhood Council (CINC) and the City of Oxnard formed a citizen-science water quality monitoring team, the Clean Water Team. The Clean Water Team was trained under the State Water Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) program. The SWAMP has over 150 citizen monitoring groups in California.
Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) | California State Water Resources Control Board
The SWAMP procedures ensure that the data collected meets the Water Board’s scientific quality standards so the data can be used to reduce and prevent pollution of the waters in Channel Islands Harbor, Mandalay Bay and Edison Canal.
The Clean Water Team is always looking for more volunteers. If you want to volunteer, click on Channel Islands Neighborhood Council – CINC (cineighbors.com) and select “Contact Us” for more information about the program.