Maintenance dredging at Agua Hedionda Lagoon this winter helps replenish sand on local beaches

Carlsbad beaches will receive new sand as a result of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon dredging project, scheduled to take place December through May 2011. 

 

“By next summer visitors will be greeted with white, sandy beaches along the Carlsbad shoreline,” said Steve Jantz, an associate engineer for the City of Carlsbad. “Beach sand replenishment is important because it helps provide a safe, enjoyable experience for everyone coming to play and relax at one of Carlsbad’s most popular attractions.”

 

Routine maintenance dredging of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon outer basin occurs every two years.  Work typically takes place during the winter to minimize impacts to beach visitors and the environment.  The lagoon has been dredged regularly since 1954.

 

City staff reminds the public to be careful around maintenance equipment. Signs will be posted around the project site to inform the public of the dredging activity.  Pedestrians will still be able to access the walking paths near the seawall.

 

The project consists of pumping 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the mouth of the lagoon to the beach in order to allow more cooling water to reach the Encina Power Plant.  Beginning the week of Dec. 6, Cabrillo Power I LLC will position a dredging vessel and begin laying large black pipes adjacent to the seawall along Tamarack Beach.  Approximately 100,000 cubic yards will be deposited on beaches north of Tamarack Avenue in January.  Another segment of sand will be

deposited between the jetties in February; the remainder will be placed south of the warm water jetty in March.  The sand placement is expected to be completed by mid-April 2011.  The equipment will be removed by the end of May.

 

The city is one of several regulatory agencies, including California Coastal Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board, United States Army Corps of Engineers, California State Lands Commission, and California Department of Parks and Recreation, to provide permits to Cabrillo Power I LLC to complete the work.  Cabrillo Power I LLC is responsible for funding, monitoring and inspecting the project.

 

For more information about the Agua Hedionda Lagoon dredging project, contact Cabrillo Power I LLC Environmental Specialist Sheila Henika at 760-268-4018 or sheila.henika@nrgenergy.com