The City of Santa Cruz joined forces with the U.S. Coast Guard and Power Engineering Construction Company to remove heavy equipment and wood debris from the seafloor at the end of the Santa Cruz Wharf Friday through Sunday. The material was torn loose from the wharf during a powerful storm in December.
Work had been delayed as crews waited for a window of calm sea conditions, said Joyce Blaschke, a community relations specialist with the city.
Throughout the operation a large crane was visible from miles around working the scene from atop a huge barge, plucking various items from the ocean, including a mid-sized crane that has been sitting on the ocean floor for over six months. Hoisting the white crane into the sky and placing it on the barge in one piece brought a huge wave of applause from onlookers clustered at the end of the wharf.
Santa Cruz City worked with the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California State Parks, the County of Santa Cruz, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the Santa Cruz Harbor in completing the operation.
