Sand Supply to Fend Off Beach Erosion

Port Hueneme will receive an emergency supply of beach sand by mid-September that should prevent Surfside Drive and other public property from washing away.

But municipal officials say they still await a long-term solution to the city’s sand drought. Until then, the city will hold off approving the transfer of 33 acres of military land to allow for the expansion of the Port of Hueneme.

The September sand delivery “addresses the immediate crisis,� community development director Tom Figg said. “This is a one-time fix. . . . It doesn’t go beyond that.�

The Army Corps of Engineers has found enough money to deposit 700,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach about two months ahead of schedule.

However, about 1.1 million cubic yards is needed annually to keep the ocean at bay, Figg said. The corps has conducted sand replenishment every two years since 1960 to protect the city’s trademark beach and nearby homes. The federal government has footed the bill because a Navy-owned jetty hampers the movement of sand down the coast that would naturally replenish the beach.

But Figg said the amount of sand scooped onto the beach has diminished in recent years, and today the ocean has eaten to within 10 feet of Surfside Drive in one spot. The city is seeking an agreement with the Navy that the program will not only continue, but in enough volume to protect its beach. The military is balking, saying it lacks the authority to sign such a pact.

A bill the House of Representatives passed on Tuesday is intended to provide the authority the city seeks, but Figg said he is unsure the vague wording guarantees anything.

Meanwhile, real estate agents seeking to sell beach-side condominiums are asking the city what is going on so they can disclose potential problems to purchasers. And the Port of Hueneme, frustrated over the holdup of land they need to expand the port, is accusing the city of reneging on an agreement to complete the land transfer by May 1, 1996.