Sand restoration gets underway at Fletcher Cove

SOLANA BEACH — Over the next 60 days, residents will see the Solana Beach shoreline grow substantially in size as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges and places 700,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach.

The long-awaited USACE Coastal Storm Damage Reduction and Beach Replenishment Project kicked off Tuesday with the arrival of trucks and equipment, which were carefully transported down to the beach from Fletcher Cove Park.

Active sand placement began on Wednesday and will continue from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week until around mid-March. When the project is finished, the shoreline will be widened by around 150 feet from Tide Beach Park to the city’s southern limits.

While equipment is delivered, the city has implemented a short-term closure of the Fletcher Cove parking lot, overlook and beach access ramp to protect public safety that began Tuesday and is expected to last through the end of the week.

The public beach ramp at Fletcher Cove Park is closed this week to make room for equipment transportation for Solana Beach’s sand restoration project. Photo by Laura Place

During the closure, the public is asked to use other coastal access stairways located at Tide Park, Del Mar Shores and Seascape Sur.

“We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this activity might cause and will attempt to minimize these closures to the extent feasible,” the city said in a statement Tuesday. “Those wishing to observe the initial operations should do so from the Fletcher Cove Community Center beach overlook area.”

Work in Solana Beach was supposed to begin after another sand replenishment project was completed in San Clemente, pulling sediment offshore of Oceanside. However, due to winter storms delaying work and poor sand quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided to pause work in San Clemente and move on to Solana Beach.

Sediment for the project will be taken offshore of the San Dieguito River mouth, brought to a pipeline currently located at Fletcher Cove via a dredge, and pumped as a slurry mix of seawater and sand.

After work is completed in Solana Beach, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin the next phase in Encinitas, adding around 340,000 cubic yards of sand from north of Swami’s Beach to south of Beacon’s Beach.

The 50-year project will also provide scheduled renourishment of sand in both cities every 10 years.

For more information about the beach replenishment project, visit cityofsolanabeach.org/beachsand.