For beachgoers in Orange County, summer is synonymous with sand between the toes. But for residents of San Clemente, that sandy paradise has been shrinking in recent years. Decades of upstream development and changes in weather patterns have choked off the beach’s natural sand supply, putting homes, businesses, and vital coastal rail infrastructure at risk.
But after months of setbacks and years of red tape, a glimmer of hope has arrived off San Clemente’s pier. A barge from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is busy pumping fresh sand onto the shrinking beach. Though slightly darker and coarser than the original, it’s a welcome sight – a pushback against the relentless ocean.
The project, decades in the making, has been a roller coaster of setbacks. Initially, more rock than sand came ashore, forcing officials to scramble to find a new source. But the Corps of Engineers is back, determined to complete the replenishment project. And for experts like UC Irvine professor Brett Sanders, the work is crucial.
“It will spread out across the coast,” Sanders explains in a report by The San Diego Union-Tribune. “There will be times it gets pulled offshore. When there’s milder waves, it tends to push it back on shore. It will get dispersed around.”
However, the project highlights a complex and costly problem plaguing coastal communities. It’s a constant battle against erosion, fueled by climate change and man-made alterations. The current price tag? $23.5 million – and likely to rise due to early setbacks.
While there’s relief that the project is back on track, some wonder if it’s merely temporary. Will the ocean just reclaim its prize? That answer, like many climate change conundrums, remains complex. Sand, naturally, travels up and down the coast, shifting constantly with swells and storms. Experts agree that this is not a one-time fix.
San Clemente understands this and is making moves to secure its sandy future. The city has joined SANDAG, the San Diego Association of Governments, which oversees the construction and implementation of major transportation projects throughout San Diego County, to explore regional sand solutions, and is working on permits to capture ‘opportunistic’ sand when available. NOAA’s Trevor Meckley acknowledges in a report by the Orange County Register, “It’s definitely one of the solutions in places like this that is clearly a heavily used beach. There’s no other option other than to put new sand there. It sounds like Army Corps has made a commitment to doing this for a while.”
Replenishment will be necessary every five years for the next 50 years; however, each replenishment cycle will require additional federal funding.
