The cities of Solana Beach and Encinitas will both be meeting on Wednesday, May 8th at 6:00 pm to discuss a potentially disastrous beach nourishment plan proposed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). Officially titled the Encinitas-Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project, the ACOE specifically lists the breaks that will be damaged in their own Environmental Impact Report (EIR) - read the relevant excerpts of the EIR here. Sand will be dumped on the beaches every 5 years in Encinitas, and every 13 years in Solana Beach. This would result in significantly wider beaches at the expense of the local reefs. Pillbox, Cherry Hill, Table Tops and Stonesteps will be completely covered in sand and transformed from reef breaks into beach breaks. However, there is no discussion about this impact in the project design and the determination of the fill amounts. Project proponents also fail to acknowledge that sand is not going to fix the problem of eroding beach bluffs and depletion of the beaches. Even if sand is added, the shoreline still retreats; and sea level rise is only going to complicate things.
We have repeatedly asked the two cities to consider less drastic and damaging plans in the form of a reduced amount of sand through a locally preferred alternative. You can read our May 2012 response to the Notice of Preparation, as well as our February 2013 comments on the Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). However, the cities are under pressure to accept the most drastic plan, without regard to the loss of surf and environmental resources.
The Solana Beach meeting will be held at 6 pm in Solana Beach City Hall at 635 S. HWY 101. The Encinitas meeting will be head in Encinitas City Hall at 505 South Vulcan Avenue. If you are able to attend either of these meetings, please sign up here. Help us protect precious reef break resources and let the cities know it is not ok to cover our reefs with hundreds of tons of sand!