June 01, 2026

After 26 Years, Rep. Mike Levin and Army Corps Secure Federal Plan to Bring Sand Back to Oceanside’s Beaches

OCEANSIDE, CA — Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) today announced a breakthrough in the decades-long fight to restore Oceanside’s eroding coastline: after 26 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a draft plan to bring sand back to the city’s beaches through long-term beach nourishment. He was joined by Mayor Esther Sanchez, Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce, the Army Corps, local business owner Donna Kalez, and environmental advocate Bob Ashton.

The announcement comes as the Army Corps completes its spring dredge of Oceanside Harbor, placing 320,000 cubic yards of sand on local beaches just in time for summer — the largest replenishment the city has seen in years.

The Corps’ recommended approach is beach nourishment on a regular renourishment cycle: sand placed directly on Oceanside’s beaches, with no seawalls or hard structures. The Corps identified it as the most technically feasible, most environmentally acceptable, and lowest-cost way to mitigate erosion and restore the shoreline. The plan complements the City of Oceanside’s RE:BEACH initiative, which is designed to keep nourished sand in place longer. The draft is open for public comment through June 30, 2026. The Corps will then complete a Report from the Chief of Engineers to recommend the plan to Congress to authorize and fund for construction.

For more than 80 years, the harbor at Camp Pendleton — built by the federal government in 1942 — has disrupted the natural flow of sand down the coast and driven chronic erosion in Oceanside. The federal government first acknowledged responsibility in 1953, but the fix stalled for decades. When Rep. Levin entered Congress in 2019, the Army Corps had abandoned the study. He secured a provision in federal law requiring its completion and later secured over $4 million to finish it, clearing the path for the plan announced today.

“For 26 years, Oceanside has been asking the federal government for one thing: a real plan to bring back the sand this harbor took. Today, we finally have it. And the answer is simple — sand, and lots of it,” said Rep. Mike Levin. “When I got to Congress, this effort was dead. I secured the requirement in federal law that the Army Corps study be finished, and I secured the funding to get it done. Now we have the plan, and I won’t let up until that sand is on our beaches for good.”

“This is an incredible point that we now have a project,” said Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez. “That two-year study that took from before 2000 until now finally did happen and finally came up with the best alternative. Thank you, Rep. Levin, for everything you do for our beaches and our harbor.”

“Oceanside is doing things that no other community on our coastline is doing,” said Environmental Advocate Bob Ashton. “Today we celebrated not only the dredge, but the delivery of a project that has been in the works for a very long time.”

“Thank you to Congressman Levin,” said Oceanside Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce. “His years of support for this project are the only reason we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. With steady effort, we got to the point where sand is replenishing our beaches.”

“My family and I are so proud to own a business here in Oceanside called Oceanside Adventures,” said local business owner Donna Kalez. “We take people whale watching every single day, and a harbor that’s dredged on time is essential to keeping our business running.”

In early April, Rep. Levin announced over $8.2 million in federal funding for Oceanside Harbor maintenance dredging, enabling the Army Corps to dredge the harbor twice in 2026 — first this spring to address an emergency in which rapid shoaling caused two boats to capsize and one vessel to run aground, and again in the fall as the program transitions to a new annual fall dredging cycle. Oceanside Harbor is the only harbor between San Diego and Dana Point and a designated “critical harbor of refuge” for commercial and military vessels, requiring annual dredging to prevent dangerous sediment buildup. The spring dredge was completed on May 9, removing 320,000 cubic yards of sediment and transferring it to local beaches, with demobilization completed on May 13. The replenishment reduces navigation hazards, enhances surge protection for harbor infrastructure, and creates a larger beach for the community to enjoy.

The plan announced today is the product of years of work by Rep. Levin to revive a study the Army Corps had abandoned. At his request, the Water Resources Development Acts of 2020 and 2024 included a provision requiring expedited completion of the long-delayed Oceanside Special Shoreline Study. Rep. Levin then secured the funding to finish it in two tranches: $1.8 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022, and an additional $2.27 million in 2025 to complete the study and prepare the environmental documents required to execute the project — together clearing the path for the draft plan released today. During the process, Rep. Levin successfully passed language into law directing the Corps to avoid the construction of hard infrastructure for the project.

Rep. Levin has also advanced separate funding to reduce flood risk and add sand in Oceanside. He helped secure $26 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations package — alongside Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff — for the San Luis Rey River project, which will repair the river’s levee system and remove sediment from the channel. That sediment can be placed on local beaches, complementing the shoreline restoration effort. Since entering Congress in 2019, Rep. Levin has secured more than $1 billion in federal funding for the 49th District.