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S.D. Beaches May be in Trouble

A lack of state funding may jeopardize several San Diego County beach restoration projects. The projects put sand back on local beaches. As KPBS reporter Ed Joyce explains, losing sand means losing do

S.D. Beaches May be in Trouble

A lack of state funding may jeopardize several San Diego County beach restoration projects. The projects put sand back on local beaches. As KPBS reporter Ed Joyce explains, losing sand means losing dollars.

Beaches in Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Imperial Beach are losing sand. Officials want to make sure the tourism money those beaches generate doesn’t disappear with the sand. The natural flow of sand to those beaches is blocked by urban development and flood control projects. Sand replacement projects have already started at county beaches. But whether those projects continue depends on state funding. Steve Aceti is with the California Coastal Coalition. He says a state agency that funded the projects has not budgeted money to complete the sand replacement. Aceti plans to contact Governor Schwarzenegger and other state officials to get the funding restored. The cost of replacing the sand is much cheaper than the loss of tax dollars from reduced tourism. California officials say residents visiting state beaches spend more than $61 billion each year. Ed Joyce, KPBS News.