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Sand to Beach Project In Encinitas

A project to replace dwindling sand on a North San Diego County beach may become more common in the future. The sand delivered today on an Encinitas beach comes from a construction site. KPBS Environm

Sand to Beach Project In Encinitas

A project to replace dwindling sand on a North San Diego County beach may become more common in the future. The sand delivered today on an Encinitas beach comes from a construction site. KPBS Environmental Reporter Ed Joyce has details.

(Photo by Ed Joyce/KPBS )

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Trucks rolled off Highway 101 onto South Ponto Beach throughout the day.

It's part of a plan to drop 37,000 cubic yards of sand on a stretch of shoreline where existing sand is giving way to cobblestones.

The sand comes from a downtown Encinitas construction site.

(Photo by Ed Joyce/KPBS )


Cardiff Developer John DeWald could've dumped the sand in a landfill, but he prefers this opportunistic sand-to-beach project.

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DeWald:  The idea is using commercial construction sites where we're excavating what is good sand and taking it to dumps or other sites, why not bring it to the beaches?

The sand had to meet strict standards. The project also required approvals from more than 10 different federal, state and local agencies.

 Ed Joyce, KPBS News.