Posted on November 4, 2024
Surfers all over Southern California reminisce about how spots used to break differently, how beaches used to be bigger, and how San Onofre used to have palm trees all over its coastline—not just down at Old Man’s.
Bring Back Our Beaches, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness around the “critical state of San Clemente beaches and surf spots, how natural sand replenishment to San Clemente’s beaches has been severely disrupted, and the value of beaches and beach nourishment programs” has been working tirelessly to remedy some of these issues. Better yet, a recent Instagram post from BBOB announced that the dredge, the campaign’s “favorite sand-spewing beast,” will be back next month to deposit 86,000 cubic yards of sand between Linda Lane and T-Street.
The announcement noted that people can expect to see the dredge pipeline floated into position by the end of this month, with sand likely dumping onto the beach in November. Sand dredging is a crucial process when working to reclaim beaches lost to erosion, nourishing beaches by excavating sand from underwater areas and placing that sand where people can use it. Specifically, dredgers, or the machines that do this excavating, vacuum up sand from the ocean floor and deposit it onto the eroded shoreline. While dredging does not stop erosion, it can slow the process and help restore beaches for people to enjoy.
However, for the San Clemente Shoreline Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been involved throughout the sand replenishment process, and it has not been smooth sailing since Day One. Bring Back Our Beaches explained that because the original approved borrow site off Oceanside did not end up working out, the USACE requested another $2.6 million from the City of San Clemente, which it is “obligated to fund if we want the rest of the sand scheduled this year.” Fortunately, the City Council, the mayor, and city staff complied with the request, and the project could continue.
Bring Back Our Beaches also reminded us that this is not the first time sand has been placed in this area: the US Army Corps of Engineers already placed around 114,000 cubic yards earlier this year, which, according to BBOB, “has held up very nicely.”
Bring Back Our Beaches celebrated this announcement: “The additional 86,000 cubic yards should provide reinforcement and help to get us through the winter.”
Sand replenishment is not a once-and-done operation. Sand drifts with time, but replenishment slows down the erosion process. By repeating sand replenishment in necessary areas, further degradation of the coastline can be avoided. Without this ongoing work, the natural erosion process would happen much faster, leading to smaller, more vulnerable beaches. This dredge for the Shoreline Project is “another notch in the belt for team SC.”
