“Slow-Moving Disaster” on Oceanside’s Shoreline

"Slow-Moving Disaster" on the Oceanside Shoreline

Images of The Strand; Oceanside today (above) and in 1980 after storms. Sea Cliffs, Beaches and Coastal Valleys of San Diego County, page 58

For over 80 years Oceanside’s beaches have been slowly disappearing, resulting in limited resilience against storm damage. The construction of the Camp Pendleton boat basin breakwater in 1942 has created a persistent state of Oceanside beach erosion. This slow degradation of the sandy beaches and resilient buffer to storm damage is an absolute slow-moving disaster. But we can do something! Save Oceanside Sand has advocated for and continues to press the Oceanside City Council, County Supervisor Jim Desmond, and United States Representative Mike Levin to plan, fund and execute a restoration project that will restore and retain sand on Oceanside’s beaches. Once completed, this restoration effort will provide a broad back-beach for reestablishing resilience against large storms that will inevitably one-day hit our shorelines. These storms could easily cause the disaster illustrated on the left to The Strand. Oceanside is acting to restore the beaches for its citizens, neighbors, and visitors. Recent developments:  2020–2021 – Oceanside completed a feasibility and is working towards the next phase and is developing plans for options to restore and retain sand.  2022 – Oceanside has a new Coastal Zone Plan and

Coastal Zone Administrator who is engaging the

US Army Corps of Engineers( USACE), SANDAG and

Coastal Engineering Firms on execution of facets of this plan.  2022 – The USACE recommenced it’s stalled 2016 study of the Oceanside condition. It is scheduled to be completed in July of 2025 identifying a preferred solution to restoring Oceanside beaches to conditions before the construction of the Camp

Pendleton Boat Basin. (Section 414 of the Water

Resource Development Act (WRDA) 200). What can you do? 1. Learn more about the facts of our lack of sand situation and potential solutions. Log onto the

Save Oceanside Sand Website, sign up for our newsletter and navigate around the site to learn more! SOS website: https://sosoceanside.com 2. See the efforts the city is taking at the Oceanside

City Coastal Management Website: https:// www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/pw/beach/coastal_ management/default.asp 3. Lastly, your opinion matters! Take some time to complete the California Coastal Change &

Management Survey: https://scu.az1.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_3lqMggwHglVLUyi The research team for this project includes Dr. Ryan Anderson (Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Santa Clara University), Dr. Lindsay Usher (Associate Professor of Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies at Old Dominion University) Dr. Kiki Patsch (Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management at CSU Channel Islands), Dr. Dan Reineman (Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management at CSU Channel Islands), and Dr. Gary Griggs (Professor of Earth Sciences, UC Santa Cruz). If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Anderson at 408-551-3661 or rbanderson@scu. edu.

QR code for Survey

QR Code to Save Oceanside Sand Website