City Adds $4.2 Million to Sand Replenishment Project

Imperial Beach is looking at a lot more sand next spring.

A federally funded sand replenishment project scheduled to be administered by the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard last fall was put on hold due to a lack of federal funding.

As a result, City Council requested a transfer of $4.2 million from the California Coastal Commission's Beach Sand Replenishment/Mitigation Fund to the SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) sand replenishment project to take place in spring 2012.

The city received an amendment contract approving transfer of the California Department of Boating and Waterways funds Aug. 1.

"It is a sizeable amount of additional sand," said Community Development Department Director Greg Wade. There is no point in moving forward with the federally funded project without financing and that project is at a standstill, he said.

Replenishment made necessary by hurricanes on the East Coast and the current state of the nation's economy have created a continuous struggle in getting federal sand replenishment funds.

"Congress made a basic mandate that no more new construction project will be funded through the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. We have not been able to get over the additional hurdle that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee placed a moratorium on all earmarks for the next two fiscal years."

Transfer of the money to the SANDAG Regional Beach Sand Project II is expected to provide between 120,000 and 650,000 cubic yards of sand.

Mayor Pro Tem Brian Bilbray said Congress voted to try to defund all sand replenishment projects.

"Luckily it was turned down," Bilbray said. "But it is the way things are starting to roll. It seems that they are getting tired of funding all of the East Coast replenishment projects. I believe 70 percent goes to hurricane-ridden areas."

Wade said RBSP II has two alternatives. In 2001, SANDAG introduced a regional beach sand project where the city received 120,000 cubic yards of sand. SANDAG is the lead agency on this.

Now, providing up to 650,000 cubic yards of sand, this larger project will extend 5,650 feet in length from north of Dahlia Avenue nearly to the end of Seacoast Drive at a width of 260 feet.

"The borrow site for this project would be again the Mission Beach site," Wade said. "Sand from Mission Beach has two benefits: Coarser-grained sand when placed with finer-grained sand ... tends to stay on the beach better. The color of the sand makes it easier to monitor the erosion process. For these reasons, city staff, the council and the Tidelands Advisory Committee prefer the use of this kind of sand for the project."

The Port Districts Capital Development Program has $1 million for Imperial Beach sand replenishment budgeted. Wade said this is another potential source for funds and the city requested that these port funds be used for the city's approximate $735,000 local share for the $4.2 million. Between the city and the Imperial Beach Redevelopment Agency, $218,940 is paid for or authorized for RBSP II.

Council member Lorie Bragg said she supported staff recommendations on this project.

"I think that your creative attempt at realignment of funds on what we can get is appropriate," she said. "I think it is the only prudent and resourceful way to go and the only way to go to get a result."

The cost for all 650,000 cubic yards, just for the sand, is approximately $6.4 million. With the 10 percent contingency construction management, construction survey inspection and annual monitoring, the cost is $7.6 million. Construction timeline estimated for the larger project is 70 days of around-the-clock sand placement. "These construction hours may necessitate issuance of a noise variance."

City Manager Gary Brown said what hit him the most is the contrast with the large Army Corp project that may never happen to what RBSP II will deliver next year.

"It is a top-notch project for the city," Brown said.