HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-11-24; City Council; info; Beach ErosionDATE: NOVEMBER 21, 1980
TO: CITY MANAGER
FROM: Assistant City Manager/Administration
SUBJECT: BEACH EROSION
Attached is a copy of a draft letter from Mayor Packard,
as well as copies of letters from the City of Del Mar
and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, regarding the
Corps of Engineers' recommended solution to the beach
erosion problem.
Does the City Council wish to take a position on the
Corps' proposal as indicated in the draft copy of the
Mayor's letter?
FRANK N. MANNEN
Assistant City Manager/Administration
FNM:ldg
Atts.
Council Action
11-24-80 - Council directed staff to forward the original letter,
as drafted.
1200 ELM AVENUE ffl^I^J%k TELEPHONE:
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA 92008 M^^^M (714)438-5561
Office of the Mayor
dtp of
November 25., 1980
DRAFT
Colonel Gwynn A. league, C.E.
Los Angeles District Engineer
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
P. 0. Box 2711
Los Angeles, CA 90053
BEACH EROSION - OCEANSIDE
Dear Colonel Teague:
The City of Carlsbad is vitally interested in the beach
erosion problem along our coast. We are anxious to support
the efforts of the Corps of Engineers and the City of Ocean-
side to find a solution to this problem.
However, we carrn.ot endors.e. the solution recommended in the
Corps' current project statement. Our principal concern is
that neither the breakwater nor the groin project will assure
a reversal of the beach erosion which continues along the
coast. We believe it is imperative that the solution chosen
must provide for a continuous sand bypass system to replenish
beaches south of Oceanside.
Carlsbad has participated in several studies of the beach
erosion problem. We have been impressed by the fact that
the movement of sand along the coast is a complex problem.
We note that the "experts" disagree on the causes and solutions
to this problem. We are concerned that another structural
project in the Oceanside area could possibly worsen the
situation in Carlsbad and on beaches south of Oceanside. We
are not convinced that the Corps proposal will work.
The Carlsbad City Council wishes to commend the Corps and the
City of Oceanside for the leadership provided in seeking a
solution to the beach erosion problem. We urge you to con-
tinue these efforts until agreement, is reached. We need your
help and we pledge you our support, in finding an answer.
Sincerely,
RONALD C. PACKARD
Mayor
RCP : gb
city or del mar
November 13, 1980
Colonel Gwynn A. league, C.E.
Los Angeles District Engineer
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
« P. 0. Box 2711
Los Angeles, California 90053
o>
Re: Survey Report for Beach Erosion Control
San Diego County, Vicinity of Oceanside, California
Dear Sir:
The City of Del Mar supports the efforts of the City of Oceanside
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in seeking a solution to the
^ beach erosion problems which plague Oceanside. However, we find
o that the Corps' current recommendation of a breakwater-groin sys-
tem focuses only on a local solution. As such, it is unacceptable.
It simply does not fully address the regional implications for the
co beaches south of Oceanside, from the City of Carlsbad to La Jolla.
r*M
C Del Mar favors an approach which is regional in scope and one
which includes restoration and protection of beaches of Oceanside.
But even this regional approach must not occur at the expense of
beaches to the south. Any solution to Oceanside1s problem should
approximate the natural sand transport system with an unimpeded
flow from north to south. A combination of a bypass system
gram (Recommendation 9) would appear to be the most promising
option for Oceanside and the region.
Placement of structural devices along the beaches of Oceanside
should occur only after nonstructural options have been observed
to be inadequate. Moreover, whatever the design of small structural
devices and whenever they are constructed, they should be accom-
panied by a sand bypass system and/or a sand nourishment program
^ which would offset any adverse impact these structures might have
on the sand profiles of the beaches to the south.
o
Del Mar prefers a combined sand bypass and sand nourishment program.
E We would insist that any breakwater-groin system or the like be
accompanied by a sand bypass system and a sand nourishment program.0 We find unacceptable the Corps' proposal in its present form.
o''U)o
Colonel Gwynn A. league, C.E.
November 13, 1980
Page Two
Finally, Del Mar would like to acknowledge the time and effort
that Oceanside has expended in seeking a solution to the beach
erosion problems it has and is experiencing. We look forward
to cooperating with them, the Corps and the adjoining juris-
dictions in working toward a regional approach for combating the
loss of sand which is denuding the beaches of North County.
Sincerely,
Richard L. Roe
Mayor
sm
cc: Mayor Lawrence Bagley, City of Oceanside
Mayor Ronald C. Packard, City of Carlsbad
Mayor Pete Wilson, City of San Diego
Councilmember Bill Mitchell, City of San Diego, District No.l
Supervisor Roger Hedgecock, San Diego County
Supervisor Paul Eckert, San Diego County
Assemblyman Robert Frazee, 76th Assembly District
State Senator Bill Craven, 38th Senatorial District
CARLSBAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
POST OFFICE BOX 1605 • CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA 92008 • (714) 729-5924
November 12, 1980
Colonel Gynn A. Teague, District Engineer
Department of the Army ^
Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 2711
Los Angeles, Ca. 90053
Dear Colonel Teague:
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce has been concerned about the loss of sand from
the beaches of our city, due to the storms and erosion of the past few years,
and because of the studies conducted by the Corps of Engineers on the beaches of
our neighboring city of Oceanside.
The Corps of Engineers had proposed a series of groins to be placed on the
Oceanside beaches as the "most effective" means of controlling the sand on the
Oceanside beaches. The Carlsbad Chamber's Beach and Lagoon Committee, along
with a number of other communities in northern San Diego County held several
meetings under the sponsorship of the Chamber or the City of Carlsbad Beach
Study Advisory Committee, both chaired by myself. The Carlsbad Chamber, after
hearing testimony from Corps of Engineer staff, Scripps Institute, from private
engineering firms and from firms which do beach control work, made a
recommendation to the City of Carlsbad and to the Corps of Engineers that the
Chamber would be opposed to any groin project which did not include a "SAND
BY-PASS" program which would allow for the passage of sand from north of the
Camp Pendleton Boat Basin and the Oceanside Harbor to the Oceanside beaches and
on toward the Carlsbad and other north San Diego County communities to the
south.
The recent proposal of the Corps of Engineers to build an offshore breakwater as
"the most effective" manner to control beach erosion, may as shown by the Corps
report, be the least expensive in terms of dollars, however, it still does not
answer the problem of sand replenishment to any beaches other than Oceanside and
does not include the important "SAND BY-PASS" which various experts feel must be
included for on-going sand replenishment and restoration to downstream
communities. Further, the Chamber's committee feels that the construction of an
off-shore breakwater would force the currents of sand into even deeper water and
not be carried toward the beaches under normal conditions. To all appearances,
the off-shore breakwater would create a semi "lagoon" inside the breakwater if
groins are built at each end.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce would have to remain opposed to the proposed
breakwater as well as the groin system until adequate assurances could be
provided to our city and other cities along the San Diego County coast that
there will be an continuous supply of sand available through a By-Pass system or
regular sand replenishment from other sources.
David Minnich, Chairman
Beach & Lagoon Committee
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
CARLSBAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - OFFICES, ELM AVENUE AT OLD SANTA FE DEPOT