Relief for San Clemente’s eroding beaches is on its way in the form of sand replenishment following an official stamp of approval for a long-standing shoreline protection project on Tuesday night, Dec. 20.
The City Council approved a Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the San Clemente Shoreline Project, as the Corps is reportedly finalizing plans for the first of several phases to begin around late 2023, according to city staff.
Over the next 50 years, approximately 250,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed on the beach from Linda Lane to T-Street, about every six years, to create a new beach area measuring 3,700 feet long and 50 feet wide.
The Corps of Engineers’ contractor will use a hopper dredge to pick up sand from north of Oceanside Harbor—where the area has larger grains of sand that are expected to remain on San Clemente’s beach longer—take it to a piping system near the city beach and pump the sand onto the beach.
“This is very positive for the city,” said Kiel Koger, Public Works director. “After over 20 years of dealing with the Corps, trying to get this project (started), we see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The monthlong Phase I is expected to begin around November 2023, Koger said, for which the city has already secured most of its roughly $5 million obligation to fund the project in state grants. Staff estimated San Clemente still must pay $657,638, a tentative figure until the project goes to bid for contractors around February 2023.
“We actually have more grant (funding) than we can use,” Koger added. “That’s actually a good thing. If the cost goes up, we will have a couple hundred thousand dollars extra that we can use for our share of the project.”
Responding to a question from Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock, Koger also said that the project’s contract language didn’t prevent the city from seeking additional projects to address nourishment at other beaches within San Clemente.
Knoblock also asked Koger to provide clarity regarding a clause in the agreement that didn’t force the city to provide funding within upcoming phases if it faced a hardship. Knoblock wondered whether the “hardship” was a difficult threshold to reach in case of possible budget constraints, for example.
“I can’t really give you a definition, but it is something I asked (the Corps) to add to the contract,” said Koger. “I just felt like if we’re in a recession or something and we can’t come up with our share, I didn’t want us to be obligated to it.”
Councilmember Victor Cabral asked how staff would address plans to provide its share in the future, as both the federal government and San Clemente each are expected to contribute 50% of project costs. The federal government allocated $9.3 million, or 65%, of Phase I’s roughly $14 million total.
Koger said the city would continue to go after grants from entities such as the California Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW). The DBW provided more than $4.4 million in grants to help with Phase I, as part of funding opportunities that are available every year for cities such as San Clemente to apply.
The city is also waiting for the results of a nature-based feasibility study that numerous engineering firms, including Moffatt & Nichol, are conducting that will look at strategies to retain sand.
According to the staff report, the city will look for additional solutions to replenish San Clemente’s beaches through several actions that include participating in a regional Strategic Coastal Resiliency Committee that outgoing Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett started.
With Katrina Foley reelected and set to represent the Fifth District, and uncertainty regarding that committee’s future, the council directed staff to keep tabs on related developments. Cabral expressed his own idea regarding those efforts.
“Alternatively, it’s something we should look at internally to … keep attention on, maybe in our subcommittee,” said Cabral.
Mayor Chris Duncan agreed, saying the council can address the matter once it discusses committee appointments in a future meeting.
Duncan also thanked past and present city staff, along with residents, for their work on the long-standing issue of getting the project in motion.
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