SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — After 20 years of waiting, Solana Beach is finally replenishing its beaches with some much-needed sand.
For residents in the area, that means they're going to see some construction and closures intermittently along the shore for the next two months.
The sand replenishment project is critical because Solana Beach has eroded significantly over the years. The project is going to expand the shores once again, which will protect the people living and working on the bluffs from the impacts of the ocean.
With the operation underway as of Wednesday morning, the beach access point at Fletcher's Cove will be closed for the next few days as crew work on part of the project. The park itself will still be open.
The project itself and how the operations work is fascinating.
Solana Beach residents will notice a pipe structure out in the middle of the ocean. Underneath it is a pipe running straight down to the ocean floor, and then another pipe stretching out towards the beach.
A dredge, or ship, will connect to the pipe structures and pump sand through it where it will funnel and spray sand onto the shores.
Bulldozers and other construction equipment will be flattening the piles of sand that's going to expand the width of the shores. Construction crews will have to close certain areas on the shoreline for the sand placement from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily until the project is done.
Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner said sand will be replenished for 7,200 feet, starting at the north point of the beach and running all the way to its south point.
Heebner explained how the residents and businesses on the bluffs are going to benefit from the project.
"These bluffs are part of old sand dunes, and we've got infrastructure built on them," Heebner said. "All the condominiums, we have our own marine safety center, community center, east of that is our utility line, a lot of public infrastructure that we need to protect with sand on the beach."
Heebner said it will also protect Solana Beach's coast better against storms.
"It will help buffer the bluffs from damaging winds and rain and waves most importantly. We've been seeing a lot of bluff failures. So, this is designed so that we can actually have the sand take the wave action rather than the bluffs themselves," Heebner said.
The project has been in the works for 20 years, as the city has needed everything from conducting studies to votes of approval. The city has also partnered with Encinitas and the Army Corps on scheduling.
A huge part of the operations was securing the dredge as it had to come down from San Clemente.
Heebner said Congressman Mike Levin played an integral part in funding the project as sand is expensive. This project will cost $32 million, and it includes the costs to bring the dredge in from up north.
This project ultimately will build coastal resilience that will last for the next 50 years.
