Beach sand project forges ahead

By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
Communities, surfers brace for high surf along North County coast | Tuesday, December 4, 2007 8:28 PM PST ∞

As North County braces for predicted 15-foot waves associated with a powerful approaching Pacific storm, a regional panel is set this week to try to move the dream of another sand-replenishment project a little closer to reality.

The San Diego Association of Governments, a regional planning agency, is hoping to launch a countywide effort similar to the one in 2001 that placed 2 million cubic yards of sand on a dozen San Diego-area beaches, most of them in North County. That $17.5 million project dredged up enough sand from the ocean bottom to fill Qualcomm Stadium, but by now most of the sand has washed out to sea.

The association has set 2010 as the target date for the followup project.

But the price tag is expected to be considerably higher this time around, or more than $22 million. That's the amount the agency sought from the state in August, but officials say they realize the region may receive significantly less.

The association's Shoreline Preservation Working Group is scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at 401 B St., Suite 800, in downtown San Diego, to discuss options for local funding and a new cost-benefit analysis that quantifies the project's potential impact on the economy.

Meanwhile, area cities were making preparations Tuesday for the approaching storm, which threatens to flood low-lying beachfront streets and erode bluffs that support seaside homes. At the same time, crowds of surfers were beginning to swell in anticipation of the waves that were reaching a half dozen feet and growing.

"We're shoring up some sand in front of our Powerhouse Park, as well as in front of our lifeguard tower," said Pat Vergne, lifeguard chief for Del Mar. "Those are the two areas where we don't have sea-wall protection."

Larry Giles, Encinitas' marine safety captain, said his city last month built a sand berm at Moonlight Beach that is about 10 feet high. It is something the city does every year about this time.

"We berm across the entire cove there from the volleyball court over to the lifeguard headquarters," Giles said.

City lifeguards pulled all of the portable fiberglass lifeguard towers off of the city's low-lying beaches so they won't get hammered by the heavy winter surf.

This week's heavy surf, meanwhile, is expected to lure a large numbers of surfers to the North County shore, Giles said. And he said the city will be ready in case there are any accidents; rescuers are preparing to deploy a pair of watercraft at Moonlight Beach.

The North County shore was among the biggest recipients of the 2001 sand replenishment undertaking. Sand was used to beef up the thin shoreline at 12 beaches: Oceanside, north Carlsbad, south Carlsbad, Batiquitos, Leucadia, Moonlight, Cardiff, Fletcher Cove, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, Mission and Imperial.

According to a report, the shoreline committee will consider Thursday, the $22 million sequel would deliver $34 million in benefits for the region, by way of an economic boost from more beach visitors to improved protection from winter storm damage.

The report analyzes three project alternatives. One would increase the overall amount of sand by 50 percent; one would spread the same amount of sand used in 2001, but among fewer beaches; another would use the same amount of sand in generally the same areas, but shift the receiving points in three cases.

In the latter option, Oceanside would get sand next to the pier instead of in the southern part of the city. And because the pier is more popular with beachgoers, the benefits would be greater there, according to the report by Phil King, an economics professor at San Francisco State University.

Even so, said Steve Aceti, executive director of the California Coastal Coalition lobbying group, the panel probably will pursue a project similar to the 2001 effort, which sought to stock the region with sandier beaches several summers in a row.

"It's an example of an 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' kind of thing," Aceti said.

While the Oceanside Pier alternative was not anticipated to cost more, it might well make the project more complex because a new spot would require extensive studies to analyze the potential environmental impacts, he said. The advantage of going to the same places, he said, is that the impacts are already known.

-- Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.

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