The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) announced the first part of its sand nourishment effort to protect the California coastal rail line is underway in San Clemente.
Officials said more than 300 truckloads of sand, totaling about 3,400 cubic yards, from a quarry in Palm Springs were scheduled to be delivered to the shoreline between the rail line and the ocean over the next week along a quarter-mile span of North Beach in San Clemente. The delivery is the initial deposit of a commitment to make sand a major part of the emergency rail protections and is being placed along the beach as an immediate step to help reinforce the rail line while longer-term reinforcement work continues. The total reinforcement effort will consist of up to 540,000 cubic yards of sand along the San Clemente coastline, pending sourcing and additional state and federal permitting approvals.
“I want to thank the collective effort of agencies and leaders at every level of government who helped make this initial sand placement a reality,” OCTA Vice Chair Jamey M. Federico, said. “Reaching this milestone was possible because of our federal and state partners, multiple agencies including the Federal Railroad Administration, the California State Transportation Agency, California Transportation Commission, the Coastal Commission, the City of San Clemente, and the community.”
The estimated cost of the sand nourishment effort is about $900,000. The work is part of OCTA’s ongoing effort to focus to protect the rail line through south Orange County in four priority areas.
“This initial placement of sand highlights our dedication to securing our rail corridor and protecting our coast,” OCTA Director Katrina Foley, said. “Unfortunately, slow, excessive bureaucracy prohibits OCTA from bringing the remaining sand San Clemente desperately needs. We must work collaboratively with all levels of government to expedite sand renourishment efforts and protect our iconic Orange County beaches.”