Posted on February 11, 2026
OCEANSIDE — The City Council agreed in a 4-1 vote last week to pilot shifting the schedule of its annual sand dredging project from the spring to the fall, in an attempt to more effectively retain sand on city beaches.
Under the annual sand dredging program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pulls up sand from the mouth of the Oceanside Harbor and pumps it onto city beaches. The project makes for safer boat navigation in the harbor, and bulks up shrinking beaches with 200,000 to 300,000 cubic yards of new sand.
Dredging has typically taken place in the spring to replenish beaches in time for the summer, said Coastal Zone Administrator Jamie Timberlake, noting that this is based on a decision made in the 1960s.
However, research by the Army Corps of Engineers and the city over the past 25 years indicates that shifting the program to the fall and placing the sand further south could be more effective.
“Since this decision about spring dredging, which was made in the 60s, there have been major advances to our understanding of currents, wave patterns, and sediment transport,” Timberlake said.
Currently, sand is dredged in the spring before the change in swells. Because the beaches are at their thinnest at this time, a significant amount of sand is needed just to place the pipe before pumping can begin on the rest of the beaches.
Dredging in the fall or winter would make placing the pipe easier and allow more sand to reach the city’s southern beaches, which have been particularly sand-starved. Staff said sediment would likely flow in the opposite direction, away from the harbor, leading to a natural distribution of sand farther south.
“Certainly, the way that we are currently operating and placing the sand, there’s a very high unlikelihood that sediment would ever make it south to south Oceanside from the channel dredging itself,” Timberlake said.
Another benefit of the schedule change is that the additional sand would provide a buffer for city infrastructure during any major winter storms, staff said. More activities could also take place on local beaches in the spring months, when dredging usually prevents many events.
This year, the city will still dredge as usual in April, and then do the first fall dredge in September. The supplemental dredge will require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request additional funding from Congress.
Implementing fall dredging this year will not cost the city anything, Timberlake said, and the city can return to the spring-only schedule if needed.
Council members supported the plan in a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Esther Sanchez opposed.
Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce said that while there are some unknowns, research shows that dredging in the fall could be very beneficial.
“I know the change is scary. It is truly an experiment, just like everything we’re doing with the ocean. These are experiments we have to be very careful and thoughtful and deliberate about,” Joyce said. “I’m hopeful the benefits far outweigh the downsides, and if we’re wrong, then I am ready to switch right back with everybody else in the community.”
Representatives from Save Oceanside Sand (SOS Oceanside) supported the schedule change and urged the council to move forward.
“Dredging the harbor in fall will allow for placement of sand further south to more effectively assist in restoring south Oceanside’s sand-starved beaches, a conclusion that was supported by the army corps, multiple consultants, and city staff,” said Charlie Bowen of SOS Oceanside. “Change can be difficult, but change is required if we are to meet that goal.”
Other residents said changing to fall dredging could be disastrous. Some shared concerns that winter storms would immediately wash away all the sand placed in the fall, leaving thin beaches for the rest of the year.
“Putting sand on the beach in September/October puts our sand source at risk of washing away during the winter storms, never to be seen again for tourists, surf events and residents alike,” said Carolyn Kramer of Citizens for the Preservation of Parks and Beaches.
Kramer also claimed the city was only changing the schedule to accommodate the Army Corps of Engineers and dredging company Manson Construction, which city staff said was incorrect.
SOS Oceanside Director Emeritus Steve Maschue also said it will be crucial for the city to have a backup plan for emergency dredging ahead of the summer season if winter storms strip away the beaches.
Sanchez said she could not support the change because there was no guarantee the city would be able to secure funding for an emergency dredge in the spring next year if it is needed.
“I understand that people want to go ahead and move it to just the fall, and for me that is not acceptable. I think we do have to have the backup plan,” she said.
Council members pointed out that it may take at least two years to determine whether the fall dredging yields good results, as different years can have different swells that can make results anomalous.
Timberlake said city staff and the Army Corps of Engineers are working together to figure out how these impacts will be measured.
Councilmember Peter Weiss said he supports the schedule change, but that in the long term, the main thing that’s going to keep sand on city beaches is the larger sand restoration project known as RE:BEACH.
“No matter what time of year we put sand on the beach, within a few years it’s going to disappear, until we do something that’s going to keep the sand on the beach. And hopefully that’s going to be the RE:BEACH project,” Weiss said.
