Beginning Saturday, local beaches from Imperial Beach to Oceanside will look a little sandier thanks to a project specifically designed to restore eroded beaches.
SANDAG is coordinating the $28.5 million "Regional Beach and Sand Project" to dredge and deposit 1.4 million cubic yards of sand to replenish eight eroded beaches across Imperial Beach, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside.
The sandy restoration efforts begin Saturday at 11 a.m. in Imperial Beach on Descanso Avenue and Seacoast Drive.
SANDAG officials, Encinitas mayor Jerome Stocks and Imperial Beach Mayor Jim Janney will kick off the project, which aims to create wider beaches, preserve recreation space on our beaches, support local tourism to our beaches and provide a sandy habitat for shorebirds.
By the end of the project, SANDAG says the amount of sand dredged and deposited onto beaches will equal approximately 120,000 truckloads – nearly enough to fill up Qualcomm Stadium.
SANDAG says sand will be pumped out of a pipe from an offshore ship Saturday and spread on the beach by bulldozers, signifying the start of a sandier San Diego.
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