The City of Encinitas will receive 45,000 cubic yards of sand just south of Ponto State Beach as a result of the Encinitas Beach Hotel Project.
The sand placement started earlier this week, and will continue through the end of February, reported the City officials.
“ The sand is a great match for Encinitas beaches, as it is from the same sandstone that has nourished the City’s beaches for decades. The sand will cover currently exposed beach cobble, improving our local beach environment ,” the officials said.
They also added that although the color of the new sand doesn’t currently match the existing sand, the waves and tide will eventually allow the fines to wash out leaving behind larger grained particles, allowing the sand to blend with native beach sand.
The sand will be placed along the shoreline at Batiquitos State Beach and wave action will spread the material into the existing sand. It will gradually migrate south to Leucadia, Moonlight, and Cardiff beaches.
“ With the impacts that climate change brings such as sea level rise, increased beach visitors and coastal erosion, one of the climate adaptation strategies that the City adopted is to continue beach nourishment ,” explained Crystal Najera, City of Encinitas Climate Action Plan Program Administrator . “ The sand placement will help broaden the shoreline and protect coastal bluffs from wave generated erosion. ”
The City of Encinitas Opportunistic Beach Fill Program finds opportunities to obtain beach-quality sand from upland or dredging projects in the region through the Development Services Department.