January 2024

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COASTAL MANAGEMENT UPDATE

Oceanside's Coastal Zone Program aims to responsibly manage our coastal resources to benefit the community, while improving our natural habitat and resiliency against coastal storms and rising seas. The dynamic and evolving Coastal Zone Program includes the latest research, grants, projects, and partnerships, allowing adaptation to our changing conditions to maintain our coastline as a thriving ecological and recreational resource for generations to come. Listed below are updates to the City's ongoing coastal management efforts:

RE:BEACH Oceanside

Coastal Resilience Design Competition

The RE:BEACH Oceanside project was launched in early 2023 to identify feasible solutions to protect our beaches from long-term erosion. Through this year-long effort, three conceptual designs for hybrid approaches to sand retention were developed by three teams of coastal engineering experts from around the world. The three public workshops, attended by hundreds of people, were held to inform the community about the concepts and gather input on the proposals. The last workshop was held December 13, 2023. A jury and advisory panel of coastal experts and local representatives has deliberated on which of the three projects will be the most beneficial and feasible for our shore.

Next Steps

The jury-recommended project will be presented at a Council Workshop on January 31, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. All are welcome! An approved project will move directly into the final design and permitting phases. Since RE:BEACH is a pilot project, the implemented concept will be monitored, studied and adapted to provide sand retention along with additional benefits to the community. The exact location shall be determined during the next phase of the project, the engineering and environmental compliance phase.

Oceanside Harbor Dredging & Sand Placement

Annual Project to Occur in Spring 2024

The US Army Corps of Engineers annually dredges the mouth of the Oceanside Harbor for the safe navigation of vessels. The dredge project typically occurs in the spring. The sand dredged from the Harbor inlet is pumped onto Oceanside beaches. The amount of sand available each year to be placed on the beaches is dependent on how much excess sand fills in the Harbor entrance. Though the quantity varies from year to year, on average the City beaches receive approximately 250,000 cubic yards of sand. How far south the dredged sand can be deposited is dependent upon the erosion that occurred during the preceding months. Often times, the beach on the north side of the Pier must be filled in substantially in order to support the pipe that must be laid on the beach.  More information

San Clemente's Sand Replenishment Project

Federal Project's Goal is to Protect Railway

We've been getting questions about San Clemente's sand project ("Why are they taking sand off of the coast of Oceanside?" and "Why is the dredge 'parked' in our Harbor?")

The sand project occurring in San Clemente is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-led project to create a new 50' wide sand berm on either side of the San Clemente Pier. This work is the culmination of 20 years of effort between the City of San Clemente and the federal government, and the main objective is to protect the federal railway in San Clemente from moving westward from landslides and flooding. The dredge and/or associated vessels for this project are docked in Oceanside's Harbor because the source of sand for their project is just north of the Oceanside Harbor about 1-2 miles off the coast. The sand is coming from an approved U.S. Army Corps of Engineers borrow site. More information

Coastal Dune Restoration

City receives a grant to restore dune habitat

Sand dunes provide a natural method of sand retention and berming to prevent flooding of low-lying coastal infrastructure. Coastal dunes are also habitat for shorebirds, and are becoming increasingly rare. The City received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to passively restore, using wind-driven sand, sand fencing and native seed, to pilot the restoration of dunes along the coastline in areas that sustain dry sand. The grant covers pre-project outreach to the community, design of the restoration and the implementation of one acre of coastal dunes. Be on the look out for more information about dune restoration in future City correspondence and at the Thursday Mainstreet Farmers' Markets. 

Buena Vista Lagoon Enhancement Project

Sandag Project to Allow Tidal Flushing

Engineering and design planning for the restoration of the Buena Vista Lagoon at Oceanside's southern border is underway. The 220-acre Buena Vista Lagoon will be changed from what has become a freshwater marsh back to a modified saltwater wetland with tidal flushing. Much of the lagoon will be excavated to remove the silt and cattails that have been slowly filling the basin, and to open a new channel to the ocean. The sand dredged from this project would be placed to the beaches of South Oceanside and North Carlsbad. SANDAG is the lead agency on this project and has estimated construction costs to be about $80 million. SANDAG began taking core sediment samples in early 2023 and conducted base mapping and an aerial survey. They expect to reach the "shovel-ready" stage by early 2026. Construction is expected to take about two years. The construction will begin once planning is complete and funding is identified. Rendering below. More information

Opportunistic Beach Sand Replenishment

City Requires Development Projects to Participate

Oceanside sustains federal and state permits, SCOUP permits, that allow the City to place sand on the beaches when appropriate beach-quality material can be extracted from a development site or when other restoration opportunities arise. Development projects with export materials, located west of Interstate 5 within City limits and within the sphere of influence of the San Luis Rey River and Loma Alta Creek, are required to participate in this program.  The permits include stringent environmental regulations to ensure that imported sand is compatible with the beach sites where the final deposition occurs, as well as reduce any negative impacts on coastal habitats and recreation. Our permits allow us to place up to 150,000 cubic yards of sand annually to our eroded shoreline areas when suitable sand is available. More information

What's Complete?

Over the past several years, Oceanside has taken significant actions to upgrade its beachfront infrastructure areas, including the Tyson Street, Sportsfisher Drive, Breakwater Way, and new Pier Plaza restrooms, as well as beach access stairways. Major new sewer lift stations were also constructed and the Strand was repaved. Additionally, a new Police substation and a beach maintenance storage building were added. Trees, pavers, lighting and benches were added to the south Pier Plaza. Background Information

What other improvements are underway?

Modernization Efforts in Progress

A Beachfront Improvement Feasibility Study was launched in 2020 to explore the different ways we can improve and modernize the heavily-used areas around the Pier: the Junior Seau Beach Community Center, the Junior Seau Pier Amphitheater, the adjacent Pier Plaza, and the public spaces in between. Through an extensive period of community outreach consisting of 15 public meetings, concepts were developed. Currently, the project site is undergoing environmental testing and documentation needed for permitting and design development. This process will take much of 2024, followed by another chance for public input. Getting the project "shovel ready" will allow the City to begin seeking grants or other funding for eventual construction.

Proposed renovations are expected to include:

The Junior Seau Beach Community Center renovations are planned to include a new roof, floors, and building exterior; new signage, site lighting, concrete sidewalks, and waste receptacles. The Community Center will gain public art commemorating Junior Seau. The interior of the Community Center will have new kitchen equipment installed, and an upgrade to the fire safety system. The restrooms will get updated finishes, plumbing fixtures, and doors. Audio visual equipment upgrades are to be included. The parking lot will be refinished.

Junior Seau Ampitheater renovations are planned to include a reconstruction of the bandshell with an enclosed backstage area with a dressing room, restroom, and sound/lighting control area. The amphitheater seating area will be rebuilt with restrooms, storage, and a sound-mixing station. The area would include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility from Pacific Street to the Strand, movable fencing, new lighting, and signage.

All of these efforts are being coordinated with the adjacent Pier View Way Bridge Replacement Project, discussed below.

Pier View Bridge Replacement Project Planned

100-Year Old White Concrete Structure

to be Reconstructed



Access to the Pier is provided by the white concrete structure known as the Pier View Way Bridge, which also incorporates the City’s Lifeguard Headquarters. This structure was built in 1927 and is showing its age, despite maintenance through the years. The City Council approved a plan to reconstruct the concrete bridge and lifeguard headquarters. Phase 2 of the project started in September 2023. More information on this Measure X-funded effort here

Pier Utilities Replacement Project is Nearly Complete

City Replaced Water/Wastewater, Electric and Gas Lines

The Oceanside Pier Utilities Replacement Project is nearing completion. A team is testing the water, sewer and fire suppression controls systems recently installed. Construction fencing along the south side of the Pier, and parking lot 29 are expected to reopen in late January. This $6.7M project was assisted with $4M from the historic American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which is helping cities across the nation expedite water and infrastructure projects.