Federal Officials Authorize First Phase of San Clemente Shoreline Project

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

Sitting at an outdoor patio table at the Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar on the morning of May 4, local and federal officials held a signing ceremony to memorialize an agreement to bring much-needed sand to San Clemente’s coastline.

The Project Partnership Agreement sets in motion the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) commitment to the initial stage of the San Clemente Shoreline Project, which will put roughly 250,000 cubic yards of sand between Linda Lane and T-Street to widen the beach by 50 feet.

Rep. Mike Levin, Mayor Chris Duncan, and Col. Julie Balten, commander of the USACE’s Los Angeles District, were on hand for the event.

The three spoke of the need to protect residential, commercial and municipal properties from wave action, in addition to protecting the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor that carries a significant volume of freight and passengers.

“Fortunately, this project is designed to help address all of these issues by reducing the potential for storm damage to facilities located along the coast of San Clemente, including recreational beach facilities and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, and helping restore and maintain recreational use around the San Clemente coastal area,” said Balten.

Duncan thanked Levin for his work in securing the $9.3 million that brought the 20-year effort closer to reality, as well as thanking community members for their assistance in the process and laborers from the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 652 group who will participate in fulfilling the project.

He reiterated the reliance San Clemente has on its beaches for entertainment and importance to local businesses, mentioning the ongoing Nature Based Coastal Resiliency Project Feasibility Study, which seeks to find long-term sand retention solutions among other objectives.

Regarding the need to jump-start projects that will bring sand to other depleted locations in the city, Levin affirmed its importance, saying such efforts up and down the coast of his district must be a “50-year commitment.”

Duncan added that completing the resiliency study and identifying how to best keep sand in place is a key step.

“Then, let’s (start) other sand replenishment projects; let’s think out of the box and look for partners like Congressman Levin and the federal government, who have shown they can get it done and deliver for us,” Duncan said.

At the San Clemente City Council’s meeting on May 2, Duncan and his colleagues heard a presentation from USACE’s Los Angeles District Project Manager Doland Cheung that detailed the upcoming project’s background, timeline and specifications.

The USACE authorized eight “renourishment events” to occur in approximately six-year intervals over a 50-year period in addition to the initial $15 million project,