Dredging to resume next week at Oceanside harbor

Manson Construction's broken dredge equipment is being repaired in Long Beach and should return to the Oceanside harbor Tuesday to finish pumping sand onto nearby beaches.

"It is expected to run for about four or five days, and then demobilization of fencing and equipment will begin," a city official said.

Manson began the annual dredging April 22, but notified the city May 15 that it had stopped because of mechanical problems and was sending some of its equipment away for repairs.

Since then, the 3-foot-diameter pipeline used to transport the sandy slurry has remained on the beach waiting for the job to resume. Also, a northern section of the harbor parking lot is closed for the contractor's vehicles and equipment.

About 150,000 cubic yards of material had been dredged when the work stopped. This year's goal is 250,000 cubic yards. Normally, the job takes six to seven weeks without interruptions.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hires a contractor annually to keep the harbor channel clear for navigation. As a by-product of the operation, sand taken from the harbor is placed on Oceanside’s northern beaches.

Usually, the work is finished by Memorial Day weekend, in time to replenish the shoreline for the unofficial start of the summer tourist season.

Sand pulled from the harbor usually goes as far south as the harbor, or maybe a couple blocks beyond it. Beaches below Tyson Street, about two-thirds of the city's coastline, are badly eroded.

Oceanside has been working on a plan to restore its southern beaches for about three years.

The City Council approved preliminary plans earlier this year for a proposal called Re:Beach. The plan calls for pumping nearly a million cubic yards of sand from offshore deposits onto the shoreline south of the pier and holding it there between two artificial headlands.

The final engineering and design for the Re:Beach project are on schedule to be finished in early 2026.

The plan would need approval from the California Coastal Commission and other state, federal and local agencies. Also, the city would have to find grants to cover the construction costs expected to be between $30 million and $50 million.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .