By Jay Refold
North County Times
September 25, 2005
The
long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report on the
condition of the Encinitas beaches arrived seven years after
the study was approved in Congress. It provides the blueprint
for wide, sandy beaches in Encinitas.
After examining the erosion at the base of the bluff, the
report suggests a combination of solutions to establish the
healthy beaches that the public expects and the business
community needs to support the economic life of our small
beach town.
After
the sand replenishment action in 2001, many of the local
Encinitas beaches have retained tens of thousands of cubic
yards, proving the effectiveness of the proposal. The Army
Corps report mandates an ongoing replenishment in five-year
intervals funded with combined federal and local dollars.
The
report also calls for the construction of basal notch infills
at intensely undercut areas of the bluffs. These structures
are not seawalls. Notch infill provides a safer beach
experience, as the threat of a lower bluff failure is
minimized. "Armoring" the bluff occurs after the
bluff has failed. In fact, more sand on the beach should
lessen the need for any type of future bluff alteration.
The Army Corps report states that sand replenishment and notch
infill presents the best-case scenario for improving the North
County beaches so they are safe and attractive ---- even
available to stroll at high tide!
Encinitas residents are fortunate that their City Council had
the foresight to provide for its portion of the funding
required by the federal government by dedicating a percentage
of the Transient Occupancy Tax. The taxpayers of the city are
not burdened by their beaches, as the cost is spread among
those traveling on vacation to our town. Safe and wide beaches
nourished by ongoing sand replenishment and thus limiting the
threat of falling bluffs should be the goal of all the people
in the Encinitas community.
While some vociferous surfers believe the Army Corps should
focus solely on how either sand replenishment and/or notch
infill impacts the surfing points, our group prefers a broader
approach to solving the problem for the community at large who
use the beach in varied manners. While some of our homes will
benefit from the notch infill ---- a request routinely denied
by the California Coastal Commission when proposed by
individual home owners willing to pay for it ---- the true
beneficiaries are the thousands who flock to Encinitas
beaches.
As homeowners and taxpayers, we are acutely aware of the
economic impact that the beach brings to Encinitas and welcome
the Army Corps report. Regular sand replenishment providing
safe public access, managing the natural resources and
promoting attractive alternatives to massive seawalls will
maintain and promote the future of the beach and the city of
Encinitas. This project needs to move forward swiftly into
implementation.
Jay Refold is president of the Seacoast Preservation
Association, a 30-year-old nonprofit organization made up of
Encinitas blufftop homeowners who work with state and local
agencies to "maintain the shoreline and safe, healthy
beaches."
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