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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-06-26; City Council; 16254; San Diego Regional Beach Sand ProjectAEl# lbGGJ MTG. @&-d! DEPT. CM CITY OF CARLSBAD - AGENDA BILL l-7 TITLE. iii&E PRESENTATION FROM SANDAG ON THE SAN DEPT. HD. DIEGO REGIONAL BEACH SAND PROJECT CITY ATTY. ’ z CITY MGW RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive presentation from SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) on the San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project. ITEM EXPLANATION: To help mitigate against the deteriorating state of our local beaches, the first sand replenishment project on the west coast is being conducted this year by SANDAG. The San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project started at Torrey Pines State Beach on April 6 and will deliver sand to another 11 beaches. All told, the beaches will receive a total of 2 million cubic yards of clean, beach quality sand over the next 5 months. Sand will be dredged from offshore and pumped onto beaches in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, San Diego, and Imperial Beach. This project is scheduled to be completed in August 2001. This $16 million public works effort is being coordinated through SANDAG, the San Diego Association of Governments. The beach sand project has received funding from Congress through the U.S. Navy, and from the state legislature through the California Department of Boating and Waterways. The project has been made possible through the work of local elected officials from the region’s 18 cities and county, and legislative representatives in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. Close environmental monitoring will be required before and during construction, as well as for four years after the beach sand project is completed. The monitoring program will look at sand movement, as well as impacts on lagoons, offshore archeological resources, near shore reefs, kelp, water quality, endangered shore birds, and grunion. SANDAG has requested that they be allowed to provide an informational update to the City Council on this project. FISCAL IMPACT: None EXHIBITS: CONTACT: Joe Garuba 434-2893 San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project l -888-309-SAND ,$ - &l&o/ J$ I3 Restoring a Priceless Resource What Sun, sand, and surf are the images San Diegans and people around the world think of when they hear names like Oceanside, Carlsbad, Moonlight Beach, Fletcher Cove, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, Coronado, and Imperial Beach. But the warm image melts quickly when residents and visitors alike discover that the sand is missing from under their beach blankets and between their toes on many of our beaches. That’s one of the reasons why residents and community leaders from coastal areas and inland neighborhoods are working together to get sand onto the critically eroded beaches along the San Diego region’s shoreline, from Oceanside to Imperial Beach. It’s a big job! It will take two million cubic yards of sand dredged from a half dozen ocean floor sites located about a mile offshore. This clean, beach quality sand is to be pumped onto 12 beaches through large pipes, and moved into place with bulldozers and other heavy equipment. Six miles of beaches will be restored. The map on the back shows the proposed locations of the offshore sand sites and the beaches to be replenished. Who This major public works effort is being coordinated by local governments, working together through SANDAG, the San Diego Association of Governments. This great opportunity is made possible through the hard work of local elected officials from the region’s 18 cities and county, and our legislative representatives in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. State and Federal funds totaling over $16 million have been provided for the Regional Beach Sand Project. The U.S. Navy and California Department of Boating and Waterways have been very helpful in getting the funds to SANDAG so the work can be done. WhY Our beaches have been steadily eroding for the past 20 years. Sand that used to flow down rivers to preserve our beaches is no longer making that trip because of the development throughout the region, and water supply and flood control projects needed to support that development. As the beaches continue to erode and become increasingly narrower, recreational opportunities are restricted. A unique and highly valued environment disappears. Private and public development and infrastructure are subject to increased damage from storms. In addition, the important visitor industry component of the local, state, and national economies is constrained. (Over) BEACH SAND - April 2001 i How and When The project will be the first comprehensive regional beach restoration project undertaken on the West Coast of the United States. The use of offshore sources will provide cost effective and clean sand. This approach and technology have been used extensively in the United States on the East and Gulf Coasts, and worldwide, including Australia, Japan, Spain, Israel, Egypt, Germany, and the Netherlands. The Regional Beach Sand Project will prove it can be used successfully here. The project is scheduled to begin in spring 2001, and to be completed during the summer. The restoration of each beach is expected to take between 5 and 25 days depending on the beach size and location. A 24-hour workday will significantly reduce project costs.Only a small section of each beach will be closed to public access, and the closures will move down the beach to a new location every day. What’s Next After completion of the project this summer, SANDAG will carry out a comprehensive monitoring program to find out how the sand moves from the initial beachfills, and how it affects the environment. The project has been designed to protect sensitive aquatic habitat in lagoons and on nearshore reefs. The monitoring will confirm there are no significant impacts, or identify environmental problems that SANDAG should correct. SANDAG is working with the State of California to initiate an even more comprehensive inventory and evaluation of the nearshore environment. A better understanding and management of this valuable resource is a stewardship responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with managing our beaches. It is important to know that our coastline has a severe sand deficit. This means that the sand from the 12 beaches we restore as part of the Regional Beach Sand Project will eventually spread out over the region’s entire 60-mile coastline. SANDAG sees the project as the initial step in a long-term effort needed to fully restore our coastline for the enjoyment and benefit of all. For more information on the Regional Beach Sand Project, call toll free l -888-309-SAND or see www.sandag.org.