By Shawn Raymundo
More than $500,000 in federal funding will come to San Clemente to help complete the design phase of an ongoing sand replenishment project, Rep. Mike Levin, D-CA, announced last week.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allocate $505,000 in federal funding for the Planning, Engineering and Design phase of the San Clemente Shoreline Project, which is meant to mitigate beach erosion and protect the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor.
The project, a press release from Levin’s office stated, will also protect “roads, buildings, and other infrastructure, as well as maintain recreational use of San Clemente’s coastline.”
Levin also announced that the $400,000 in federal funding from the Army Corps of Engineers is being allocated for the design phase of the Encinitas-Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project.
The funding for that project comes in the wake of a bluff collapse at Encinitas’ Grandview Beach last year.
“While much more federal funding will be needed to secure our bluffs over the long-term, this is a significant step that was long overdue,” Levin said in the release.
According to a 2016 staff report on the Shoreline Project from the city, the design phase of the project was estimated to cost just shy of $1.14 million, with the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for 65% of the cost and city obligated for 35%.
The design phase, according to the city, will include two years of pre-construction monitoring. The construction phase of the project is estimated to cost $11.3 million, requiring a local contribution of 35%, or roughly $4 million, according to the city.
A pair of grants the city applied for to the State Parks Department, which were approved, provided San Clemente with $3.4 million, leaving the city to come up with the remaining $600,000.
Shawn Raymundo
Shawn Raymundo is the city editor for the San Clemente Times. He graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies. Before joining Picket Fence Media, he worked as the government accountability reporter for the Pacific Daily News in the U.S. territory of Guam. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnzyTsunami and follow San Clemente Times @SCTimesNews.
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