Posted on June 3, 2026
For the first time in decades, the federal government has a concrete plan to restore sand to Oceanside’s eroding beaches. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) has released its Draft Integrated Feasibility Report for the San Diego County Shoreline (Oceanside) Mitigation Study, identifying beach nourishment as the tentatively selected plan to address more than 80 years of shoreline erosion caused by the construction of federal harbor infrastructure.
The plan calls for the placement of 4 million cubic yards of sand along Oceanside’s beaches, with the goal of sustaining a minimum 85-foot wide beach from Oceanside Harbor south to Buena Vista Lagoon. Sand replenishment would be 1 million cubic yards the first cycle, then repeated every 10 years to maintain those beach widths over the long term.
The public comment period on the draft plan is open now and closes June 30, 2026. Residents are encouraged to submit comments before the deadline. How to comment
BACKGROUND: DECADES OF EROSION TRACED TO FEDERAL HARBOR CONSTRUCTION
When the Federal Boat Basin and Oceanside Small Craft Harbor were built, they impeded a major source of sand that would have naturally flowed to Oceanside’s beaches. Since then, Oceanside’s beaches south of the Harbor have been losing sand. Previous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies estimate the Harbor has caused a loss of 1.4 to 1.6 million cubic yards of sand volume from Oceanside beaches since 1942, with some areas retreating at a rate of 6.6 feet per year.
The federal government first acknowledged its responsibility for the erosion in 1953. Section 414 of the federal Water Resources Development Act of 2000 directed the Army Corps to study solutions and fund a fix. The study, and any resulting construction, will require no local funding from the City of Oceanside. Construction will, however, require a separate Congressional authorization.
A LONG ROAD TO A PLAN
Athough authorized in 2000, the study faced significant delays and was stalled multiple times over the following two decades due to inconsistent federal funding. The City of Oceanside and its congressional representative pushed to revive the effort, and in 2022, $1.8 million was secured through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to complete the study.
THE TENTATIVELY SELECTED PLAN
The Army Corps’ tentatively selected plan is beach nourishment: dredging sand from an offshore borrow site and placing it back along Oceanside’s shoreline. The plan is designed to sustain a minimum 85-foot wide beach from the Harbor all the way south to Buena Vista Lagoon, with 1 million cubic yards of sand placed per replenishment cycle, repeated every 10 years for 40 years in total.
The approach was selected as the most technically sound and environmentally acceptable solution, and the least costly option that still meets all project goals.
THE CITY’S ROLE AND RE:BEACH
The City of Oceanside has been an active partner in advancing this study and will continue to advocate for Congressional authorization and construction funding. Separately, the City is also moving forward with its own RE:BEACH plan. RE:BEACH will help sustain placed sand on the beach, providing prolonged resilience of Oceanside’s beaches and helping to maintain the performance of the Army Corps’ beach nourishment efforts.
HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS
The public comment period on the Army Corps’ Draft Integrated Feasibility Report closes June 30, 2026. Comments must be received by that date.
