REGION — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed a two-month sand restoration project in Solana Beach and is now beginning the next phase of work in Encinitas.
Over the next 60 days, the Army Corps will bulk up the Encinitas shoreline from north of Swami’s Beach to south of Beacon’s Beach with an additional 340,000 cubic yards of sand.
Work in Solana Beach wrapped up last week. The shoreline nearly tripled in width following the placement of 700,000 cubic yards of sand from Tide Beach Park to the city’s southern limits.
The sand placement in both cities is part of the USACE Coastal Storm Damage Reduction and Beach Replenishment Project, which aims to offset coastal erosion and add more usable beach space. The 50-year project also provides scheduled sand renourishment every 10 years.
“The project finished ahead of schedule and the city would like to thank the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Manson Construction for the impressive work and beautiful new, wide beaches for everyone to enjoy,” the city of Solana Beach said in a March 7 statement. “We are very excited to have increased recreational opportunities as well as the protection of the bluffs and increased public safety as a result of this project.”
Visitors to Solana Beach have also been pleased with the growth of the beach.
“It’s so much bigger than it used to be,” said Anna Marie Mohler of Cardiff, who frequently walks along the beach to Fletcher Cove. “I really think it makes a big difference.”
In Encinitas, crews have set up a fenced-off construction area at Moonlight State Beach for storing equipment, piping, and other construction materials. Crews have also installed a pipeline near D Street that will be used to dredge sand.
According to Todd Mierau, Encinitas Coastal Zone Program Administrator, crews expect to begin pumping sand early Tuesday afternoon.
“The project will widen the beach by 50 feet for about a mile-and-a-half,” Mierau said.
According to Mierau, residents can expect sand to cover much of the cobble rock prevalent along Moonlight State Beach and other areas.
“The sediment fill will cover most of the cobble rock on the beach. The fill reach has an elevation of 13 to 15 feet above the mean sea level. Cobble rock above this height may still be exposed,” Mierau said.
Access to the beach via D Street will be temporarily closed during the project, as the staircase leads directly into the construction area. For the next 60 days, beachgoers are asked to utilize Moonlight Beach or other access points.
The project’s sediment is dredged offshore from a borrow site at the San Dieguito River mouth — the same site used for the Solana Beach phase — and pumped onto the beach as a slurry mix of seawater and sand.
Work in Encinitas was briefly at risk of being delayed to resume an abandoned sand replenishment project in San Clemente; however, the Army Corps opted to maintain the originally planned schedule and move on to the Encinitas phase after completing work in Solana Beach.
For more information about the Encinitas storm damage reduction project, visit encinitasca.gov/slr.
