San Diego Area Beach Gets New ‘Living Dunes’
Written by 991KBU on May 23, 2019
In news from down the coast … today, the city of Encinitas will dedicate some giant piles of sand on Cardiff State Beach.
According to Coast News … the Encintas beach restoration project includes engineered “living dunes” that have been five years in the making.
Sand has been dredged from offshore … and placed atop rocks, or cobble, that are stacked at specific angles, and increase in size the further away from the water.
The cobble is buried about ten feet deep … and are sitting on top of a thick fabric that’s designed to keep them from sinking.
Encinitas also installed sand fences and planted native vegetation on top of the mounds to stop them from blowing away.
The dunes will erode so they’ll require nourishing, though it’s unclear how often.
Unlike in Malibu … beaches in San Diego County are routinely bolstered by sand dredged from offshore.
The coastal commission does not allow that in Malibu.
