Harbor Silted Up After Storm and Contract Dispute

Stormy weather and a contract dispute between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the company that dredges the Santa Barbara Harbor have conspired to build up a mountain of silt at the harbor’s mouth, preventing big boats from entering or leaving the marina and putting smaller vessels on high alert. The scheduled dredging, which was supposed to take place last fall, will instead happen later this week, harbor officials said.