Sand Replenishment On California Beaches
> "From 1930 to the present, over 100 million cubic yards of beach fill have been placed along California's beaches."
> "The EPA's global warming impacts website
notes that the beaches stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego have been
replenished with sand."
> "Waikiki beach has been continuously nourished since the 1930s."
(Okay, I know this isn't California, but it is perhaps the most famous beach in
the world - and it is a continuously restored beach!)
> From the California
Beach Restoration Study, January 2002:
"Beaches are an
invaluable social, economic, and cultural resource in southern California.
Favorable weather and ocean conditions, combined with the high population
density of the region, have resulted in these beaches becoming the most popular
recreation destination in the state. Numerous activities are available,
including swimming, surfing, boardsailing, boating,
volleyball, diving, fishing, hiking, biking, camping, and sunbathing.
In their natural condition, many southern beaches were incapable of supporting the recreational needs of the developing region. Wide, sandy beaches tended to be the exception rather than the rule, and were concentrated near river mouths or where sand was retained by sediment-blocking features such as headlands and reefs (Everts, 2000).
Today, however, broad, sandy beaches abound in southern California due to nourishment programs. Renowned sites such as Santa Monica and Venice, generally regarded as some of the finest beaches in the world, exist in their present condition only because they have received extensive sand through nourishment. These and other enhanced beaches provide numerous benefits, including increased recreational and tourism opportunities, restored wildlife habitats, improved coastal access, and greater protection against coastal storms."
General:
California Coastal Coalition (CalCoast)
- "...committed to restoring California's coast through sand
replenishment, increasing the flow of natural sediment, wetlands recovery
and improved water quality."
CalCoast sand replenishment direction - Includes Assembly Bill 64, The California Public Beach Restoration Act, the CA Beach Restoration Study, and the governor's draft policy on coastal erosion (March 2001).
CalCoast summary of sand replenishment projects funded
CalCoast April 3,2000 article (background info)
beach.com - "State of the Beach" - Very good summary!
SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) - San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project
Report Moffitt & Nichols had done for SANDAG last year is on their website: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_140_563.pdf . The cost comparison re sand replenishment alone is on about page 45, in section 3.4.2.
Beach & Bluff Conservancy - "Our mission.... to restore, rebuild, maintain and preserve the safety, beauty, joy and access of our beaches and bluffs for the benefit of everyone."
Shoreline Protective Structure report (then click on "1-4.pdf", then "5-6.pdf", etc.) from the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) April 2001 - Very interesting report!
Public comments on draft policy
Report on In-Lieu Fee Beach Sand Mitigation Program: San Diego County, January 1997
Encinitas - "Sand Update" with many good links to more information on sand replenishment.
Article in January 2002 on state budget for sand replenishment - CA Budget Supports Sand Replenishment - The Governor Gray Davis' proposed California budget includes $6.5 million for state-wide beach restoration projects, including money for sand replenishment in Imperial Beach, Solana Beach, and Encinitas. If the budget is approved, sand replenishment projects could begin as early as 2003. Last year the California budget provided no funds for any beach restoration projects.
Help for
fragile coast, North County Times - March 1, 2001 - Our View: The $2.5
million coming to North County for sand replenishment projects should be
considered a down payment on plans to save our eroding beaches.
Communities that do sand replenishment:
Imperial Beach - "IB" is very active and successful in achieving programs for both sand retention and sand replenishment - click here to see their information.
Santa Monica - 7/15/02 - Approximately 19,000 cubic yards of sand will be added to the strip of beach between Gladstones and Coastline. The sand replenishment project is scheduled for mid-August and will be performed by the LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
Most California beach communities replenish the sand every year - it is just an annual routine - not big news:
The
Beach.com review of "sand nourishment" includes Newport
Beach, Santa Monica, Morro Bay, Seabright Beach, Twin Lakes Beach,
Capitola, San Francisco.
Also:
"The Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, and Huntington Beach area is also an area of
chronic nourishment."
"Surfside-Sunset (every 3-5 years); Seal Beach; Ocean Beach, SF; Ventura
(bypassing); Oceanside (bypassing); and Santa Cruz (bypassing)."
Capitola, the quaint little beach village
south of Santa Cruz replaces their beaches every year.
Santa Monica bulldozes to create giant mountains of sand to protect their shoreline every year.
So, again, why aren't we doing it in Solana Beach?
Shouldn't this be our highest priority? What are YOU doing to get sand on
our beaches?
Revised 9/7//02