Posted on September 1, 2025
The San Mateo County Harbor District began pumping sediment from the east breakwater of Pillar Point Harbor onto the shoreline of Surfer’s Beach on Thursday, after weeks of mobilization for the harbor dredging and Surfer’s Beach restoration project.
Slurry gushed out of a pipe placed along the rocks of the breakwater, adjacent to the new public restroom near the RV park, spilling into waves lapping the beach. The pipeline stretched from barges dredging the harbor to the harbor’s small beach, then along the sandy walkway next to the breakwater between Surfer’s Beach and the harbor, and finally into the water. The sediment alternated between a green-blue color and a dark sandy mix.
The work is intended to address two long-standing issues: excess sediment buildup inside the harbor and erosion at Surfer’s Beach. By transferring sand from the harbor to the shoreline, the district aims to improve navigation while widening and stabilizing a 1,000-foot stretch of Surfer’s Beach.
Movement of sand through pipelines from the harbor to Surfer’s Beach is currently permitted on weekdays from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset, with weekend pumping allowed after Labor Day. Harbor staff have requested, but have not yet received, approval for nighttime work and for pumping during the Labor Day weekend.
Sand placement at Surfer’s Beach will continue through Oct. 18. The project will eventually involve running two dredges and two pipelines simultaneously, with the discharge pipe adjusted along the beach as work progresses.
The start of sediment movement this week also coincides with Caltrans completing a new staircase to Surfer’s Beach, replacing one that had been destroyed multiple times by winter storms over the past five years.
Caltrans replaced a wooden staircase that was frequently damaged by winter storms.
