New replenishment project expected to bring more sand to Orange County beaches
The project is supposed to take place every five to seven years but due to lack of funding, the last time it happened was in 2010.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KABC) -- Sand at the beach is guaranteed when visiting the coastline in Orange County but now, beachgoers can expect more of it as a sand replenishment project is set to begin next year.
"The purpose of it is to replenish sand up and down the coastline from Surfside Beach all the way down to Newport Beach," said Huntington Beach Public Affairs Manager Jennifer Carey.
Carey said the project is supposed to take place every five to seven years. However, due to lack of federal funding, the last time it happened was in 2010.
Carey said Rep. Michelle Steel of Orange County helped secure the funding necessary to restart the project.
She said it is urgently needed to stop beach erosion. The goal is to protect public safety and property along the coast.
"I think the perfect example of why this project's needed is you look at the recent storms and the impact they've caused on flooding of along our beaches, flooding along some major arterials of Huntington Beach and even some residential neighborhoods," Carey said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lead the project.
Nearly 1.9 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged from two-offshore sites and deposited onto north Orange County beaches.
"That project will essentially take place in the Surfside and Sunset Beach area and the hope that the ocean's natural tidal occurrence will push that sand down into the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach area," said Carey.
She said replenishing the sand allows for more space for people to enjoy the beach.
The sand replenishment project will not start until fall of next year but it is expected to complete shortly after in February 2025.
