Economy

Replacing Sand On Thinning San Diego Beaches

By Ed Joyce / Reporter

Published February 3, 2011 at 3:00 AM PST

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

Army Corps of Engineers dredge and fill project at Mission Beach, just north of Belmont Park.

Replacing Sand On Thinning San Diego Beaches

San Diego County beaches are a big draw, pulling a powerful tide of dollars into the region. But several beaches continue to lose sand.

The natural replenishment processes that bring sand to many county beaches have been mostly blocked by development.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) plans to widen several county beaches in spring 2012, including Encinitas and Imperial Beach.

"One of the primary reasons we do this is for shoreline protection and to protect infrastructure investments and property along the shoreline," said Rob Rundle, SANDAG Regional Planner.

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But Rundle said without sandy beaches, the region's economy could be short-changed.

"There's also the huge recreational benefit that we have from tourism, and it's a huge part of San Diego's regional economy and we want to make sure we have healthy beaches in the region," Rundle said.

The last time SANDAG piled sand on beaches was 2001.

"Unlike (last time), where it was all federal and state funds that paid for the project, this time there is a financial commitment on the part of the local cities," said Rundle.

Rundle said the participating cities would pay their share of the estimated $24 million project based on how much sand they get.

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He said two meetings Thursday in San Diego and Imperial Beach will provide more information about the project and give people a chance to comment on it.

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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