Environment |

Sand agreement inked, San Clemente’s eroded beach replenishment should start within a year

It’s official – sand is coming to San Clemente.

A project partnership agreement for the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project was signed Thursday, May 4, between the city, federal government and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, marking a major milestone for the long-awaited project.

Plans have been in the works for two decades to add sand to a eroding stretch of the quaint beach town, going through an extensive process of environmental studies, permit approvals and funding allocations – and a lot of waiting in between.

The ceremonial signing of the project agreement on Thursday took place at Fisherman’s Restaurant on the San Clemente Pier, the thin stretch of beach needing an injection of sand visible just behind officials as they talked about the project’s importance.

“I’m so excited to see this work finally come to fruition. With today’s official signing of the project partnership agreement, the Army Corp can begin delivering thousands of cubic yards of sand to the beach from Linda Lane to T-street,” Congressman Mike Levin said. “This will widen the beach, provide storm damage reduction, recreational benefits to the public and much needed coastal protection.”

An estimated 250,000 cubic yards of sand will be dredged from Oceanside and placed on the 3,400-foot stretch of coast, filling in the beach about 50 feet out toward sea from the shoreline.

Though more sections of San Clemente’s shoreline have also become severely eroded since planning for the sand replenishment project started, they will not receive an infusion in this process because those areas to the north and south were not part of the original plans studied and funded.

The dredger contract for this approved project should be awarded by July, with the machinery in place by November or December and the project expected to start by February, said Col. Julie Balten, Los Angeles District commander with the Army Corps of Engineers.

The $15 million project – with 65% funded by the federal government and 35% by local and state entities – kicks off what is intended to be a 50-year operation, with the beaches replenished every five years.

But, as seen with the Surfside-Sunset Sand Nourishment project in northern OC, which is supposed to have regular sand deposits every five to seven years, but hasn’t since 2010, federal funding availability isn’t always guaranteed.

Funds for that replenishment meant to seed beaches south through Huntington Beach and Newport Beach were also recently included in the federal budget and that project is expected to begin next year.

A  loss of beach width can threaten coastal residences, commercial properties and transportation, Balten said. “We are in a unique position to make a positive impact to create a safer tomorrow for those of us here now and for future residents.”

Levin said the sand will also provide protection for a key coastal rail corridor, which has been shuttered in recent months as bluffside erosion continues to sluff off nearby cliffs, putting properties and the train tracks in danger.

“One of my priorities is that the ( Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor) will remain operational, not just in the short term, but in years and decades to come,” Levin said. “It’s an important lifeline for our community. I’m going to continue to fight for federal resources however I can, not only for protection for the sand today, but ultimately for track relocation.”

Extreme weather events and changing climates will only add to the challenges in the future, Levin added.

“We know this is going to be a necessity for many decades to come. Mother Nature always wins,” he said. “We have to be adaptable and resilient.”

San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan called the area around the pier where the sand will be placed the “core” of the beach town.

“If you know anything about San Clemente, the beaches are the fabric where we paint our lives,” he said. “This is incredibly important to the citizens of San Clemente, to all of our visitors and really to our businesses as well. Our beaches are critical to our economy.”

The city is currently working on studies to ensure what’s brought in will stay “so that it’s not just the delivery of the sand, but we also work to have nature-based solutions to lock that sand down so it slows the erosion and loss of sand. Because sand is really that perfect buffer against all the wave action,” he said.

The city is also looking at “out-of-the-box” ways to bring sand to other areas in the city with erosion troubles, Duncan said. “This is an existential crisis for San Clemente. Sand is that perfect buffer, it’s the best way to protect ourselves, that’s what all the science says.”

When asked whether the sand would impact the popular waves at the pier and T-Street surf breaks, Duncan said it was a “critical part of the study.”

“T-Street is the No. 1 break in San Clemente,” he said. “It’s where our groms learn to cut their teeth. We got in touch with the Army Corp and asked them whether the surf would be affected by the project and were told it was taken into account so any effect would be minimal.”