Rep. Mike Levin Announces Funding to Complete Plan Combatting Beach Erosion in Oceanside
Oceanside, CA – Today, Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) and the City of Oceanside announced $2.27 million in federal funding to complete the long-delayed Oceanside Special Shoreline Study, which addresses Oceanside’s eroding beaches. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use the funding to complete a plan for a federal project mitigating beach erosion in Oceanside and to prepare the environmental documents required for the execution of the project.
“I’ve been fighting to get more sand on Oceanside’s beaches since coming to Congress,” said Rep. Levin. “Frustratingly, Administrations of both parties have not got it done. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about the federal government taking responsibility and delivering a solution for the people of Oceanside. Now we’ve delivered the resources needed for the Army Corps to finish its plan and get more sand on the beaches. I’ll hold their feet to the fire to ensure this moves forward.”
“Oceanside’s RE:BEACH project and the expected outcome of the Army Corps Shoreline Study are expected to complement each other,” said Jayme Timberlake, Oceanside’s Coastal Zone Administrator. “The Oceanside Mitigation Project would be expected to yield consistent sand to Oceanside's coastline for the next 50 years, and the RE:BEACH Project is designed to specifically prolong these kinds of sand nourishment efforts. The RE:BEACH Project will help slow down or “speed bump” the transport of sand off the shore, possibly allowing for less frequent nourishment cycles. Additionally, a consistent sand nourishment project like is being proposed by the Army Corps would help reduce costs for other regional projects, making it more alluring to state funding agencies and participating coastal cities that will have to cost share.”
Oceanside has been experiencing beach erosion since the construction of the Camp Pendleton Harbor in 1942. The federal government first acknowledged responsibility for these erosion challenges in 1953. The Water Resources Development Act of 2000 authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a plan to mitigate the coastal erosion due to the construction of Camp Pendleton Harbor and to restore beach conditions. Congress required that plan be completed within 32 months. It remains uncompleted.
When Rep. Levin entered office in 2019, the plan to mitigate erosion in Oceanside was stalled, and the Army Corps of Engineers had abandoned it. Rep. Levin passed legislative language into law in 2020 and 2024 requiring expedited completion of the plan. In 2022, Rep. Levin secured $1.8 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which the Army Corp of Engineers said would be enough funding to complete the plan. The Corps’ estimate was wrong, and the study was again not completed.
With today’s funding announcement, the Army Corps says it can deliver a final plan next year.
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