SAN CLEMENTE, California -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District commander met with the mayor of San Clemente Feb. 9 to discuss the San Clemente Beach Nourishment project.
The two leaders — Col. Andrew Baker and Mayor Victor Cabral — walked along the project site near the San Clemente Pier, while discussing the way forward and addressing some of the city’s concerns. They were accompanied by LA District Project Manager Doland Cheung and San Clemente Coastal Administrator Leslea Meyerhoff.
During the visit, the colonel and mayor talked about several of the Corps’ alternative plans for the project, including possibly using other borrow sites to provide sand for San Clemente, and leveraging authorities and relationships with other local, state and federal partners to potentially accelerate the permitting process necessary to use an alternate borrow site. Because of the planning time involved on developing and executing these plans, the submerged pipeline will be removed from San Clemente next week and reinstalled at a later date.
“We are listening to the city’s concerns and are continuing to collaborate with our partners to come up with a solution,” Baker said. “We all want the same thing – sand on the beach, project completion and to get it right.”
The Corps’ contractor, Manson Construction, began dredging operations Dec. 15 in the coastal city with the purpose of providing 50 feet of beach fill along a 3,412-foot-long stretch of shoreline. The added layer of sediment is meant to reduce storm damage along the coast.
The project incurred challenges early on due to inclement weather, sea swells and dredge maintenance, and at the borrow site, when the team was unable to reach beach-quality sand, but gravel and cobblestone instead.
The contractor moved its operations from San Clemente to Solana Beach in January to allow for continued productivity on both projects, while local, state and federal partners continue to work on the next steps for San Clemente.
The Corps’ LA District, the city and other agencies involved continue to collaborate on a way forward for the project with the shared goal of getting beach-quality sand placed along the San Clemente coast.
“This project remains vitally important to our community and our region,” Cabral said. “We continue to work with our partners to get our beach sand project back on track in the very near future and appreciate the continued actions of our state and federal partners to deliver a successful project to San Clemente.”
U.S. Representative Mike Levin, representing California's 49th Congressional District, also is working with both the city and the Corps' LA District on the progress of the project.
“I have been working closely with San Clemente city officials and the Army Corps to move the project forward, so I’m glad to see they are working together to replenish our beaches as quickly as possible," Levin said. "This project is critical for the surrounding region. It will benefit San Clemente’s residents and economy, safeguard public safety and private property, and help protect the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, which serves as a critical artery for our transportation, infrastructure and national security needs. I’ll continue coordinating with federal agencies and others involved to prevent further, unacceptable delays."
Baker added the Corps is working diligently with all of its partners to ensure the San Clemente Beach Nourishment project is a success.
ABOUT THE SAN CLEMENTE SHORELINE BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT
The authorized project for coastal storm-damage reduction in San Clemente, includes construction of a 50-foot-wide beach fill along a 3,412-foot-long stretch of shoreline, using 251,000 cubic yards of compatible sediment.
Additionally, the area is set to receive re-nourishments every six years on average over a 50-year period, for a total of eight additional nourishments – seven of which will have the same cubic yards of sand moved, while the last will require 84,000 cubic yards.
The work followed the signing of a project partnership agreement in February 2023 between the Corps and the City of San Clemente.
The loss of shoreline protection reduces recreational beach width and can cause damage to coastal residential and commercial properties from storm-induced waves. This can present a threat to community members, homes, businesses, transportation corridors and those who visit San Clemente State Beach.
The project is designed to reduce the potential for storm damage to facilities located along the coast of San Clemente, including recreational beach facilities and the rail corridor, and to help restore and maintain recreational use along the San Clemente coastal area.
For more information about the project please go to: https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-Studies/San-Clemente-Shoreline/.