OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Oceanside native Nick Ricci says he’s sending out an S.O.S. on behalf of his group, SOS or Save Oceanside Sand. He is calling on his beach community to get involved in his effort to replenish the disappearing sand along the shore in Oceanside.
“We don’t have beachgoers in this area, this is now the result of not getting enough sand,” Ricci said.
The organizer says he gets disappointed seeing the sand fade away year after year.
“At one point, even as early as 5 years ago, you could access this beach down this ramp, but not anymore,” he said.
Ricci says the problem started in 1942 with construction of Camp Pendleton Harbor, which dramatically depleted the sand. A letter from Senator Kamala Harris and Congressman Mike Levin seen below dated June 26, 2019 to the Army for Civil Works, says the two lawmakers strongly support the federal government paying the $2-million needed to complete the Army Corps of Engineers shoreline study for 2020.
Where Wisconsin Avenue meets the strand, Ricci’s solution to save the sand is by the use of “groins.”
“Groins are small jetty-like structures made out of this rip rock, and what they end up doing is they trap the sand they stop it from moving south,” Ricci said.
The City of Oceanside released a study last year called “Coastal Hazard Vulnerability Assessment.” It detailed parts of the beach which could disappear altogether by 2040 due to sea level rise.
Mayor Peter Weiss wrote a letter urging the Commander of the Los Angeles District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to recommend additional federal funding to compete the study.
Weiss says lack of sand would negatively impact beachgoer safety, Oceanside tourism and property values.
Save Oceanside Sand has a meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 19 at Bagby Beer Co. In Oceanside.