Crews working to reopen the Carmel Lagoon channel

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON DEC. 27, 2023 AT 4:15 PM- The Monterey County Public Works Department are racing against the clock to reopen the Carmel Lagoon channel.

County officials said that waves and low flows from Carmel River closed the pilot channel that was worked on in early December.

With high tide conditions and rain expected tonight and Thursday, County officials said that crews are using hand tools to reopen the channel since no heavy equipment was available.

Work continues on the Carmel River Lagoon

The County of Monterey Public Works Department is continuing to monitor the Carmel Lagoon after high surf filled the channel last week.

Crews had excavated the channel back on Nov. 29 with sand.

Nick Pasculli who is the Monterey County Communications Officer for says public works has been monitoring the area closely in case the current rainy season brings flooding like what happened earlier this year.

"The lagoon is a little bit higher than the ocean so the idea is to build a pilot channel that slopes gently down to the ocean to create a natural pull from the lagoon into the ocean," Pasculli said "This will also to relieve some of the salt."

Crews were able to re-establish the channel using different methods and try to make it more sustainable. The County also said that workers went in and dug out the channel by hand.