Oceanside officials voted four to one to move ahead with a plan to build underwater barriers to capture sand for the city’s beaches.
The beaches are shrinking as sand moves naturally along the shore and sand replenishment efforts are not enough to maintain them.
City public works officials asked the city to approve the consultant’s work on a project that would build underwater barriers to keep sand from drifting further south. The project also includes a includes a plan to bring some of that trapped sand onto the beaches.
The city body approved spending $1 million on design and permits.
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“Go big or go home,” said council-member Christopher Rodriguez as he expressed his support for the project. He said the community is struggling with shrinking beaches and if this brings them back, he is all for it.
Construction of the Camp Pendleton harbor in 1942 created a long running sand erosion problem for the north county community.
City officials hope the underwater barriers, groins, would keep the sand from moving out of the region.
The sand could help maintain or even widen the city’s beaches.
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Many residents spoke out in favor of the project saying it was time to act before the beaches disappear completely and they found support on the council.
“The sooner we can move forward with this, the better,” said Kori Jensen, an Oceanside council member.
The Surfrider Foundation opposes the project because it could rob sand from beaches south of Oceanside.
“It’s kind of a zero-sum equation,” said Laura Walsh, policy director for the Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter. “Again, sand dynamics are really complicated but, if you’re blocking sand here the sand is not going to there.”
It remains uncertain if the idea has a future because it will need approval from the California Coastal Commission something that is unclear.
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Mayor Esther Sanchez says other communities will likely object if Oceanside moves forward.
She used to be a member of the coastal commission and she is not confident the state regulators will even consider approving such a project.
“I would prefer to spend this $1 million on getting sand on our beaches immediately, as soon as possible with sand replenishment,” Sanchez said. “knowing that the coastal commission will not be approving this, I think it’s a waste. It’s a waste of time, effort and money."
The state agency governing the coastal zone hasn’t approved a sand retention project like this one in decades.
