Another first has been initiated here in San Diego. Two million cubic yards of sand is going to be placed on twelve San Diego Beaches. North County cities involved in the project are Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside. Clean, beach quality sand is currently being pumped onto San Diego beaches through large pipes from a half dozen ocean floor sites located about a mile off the Southern California coast. The dredge is the larger boat in the water.
Bulldozers wait to do their work.
Restoration of each beach is expected to take between five to twenty-five days with crews working around the clock in an effort to reduce project costs. Small sections of beach will be closed to the public each day and bulldozers will spread the sand. Sand that historically flowed naturally down rivers to preserve area beaches can no longer make the trip because of urban development involving dams, flood control systems and reservoirs. Sand erosion can leave a shoreline unprotected and vulnerable to catastrophe. Cliffs and properties can become unstable, public facilities like roadways and other structures can be jeopardized to say nothing about the impact on property values.