Thursday, July 3, 2008

Sand Challenge 2008







Since the late 1920's Oceanside has been blessed with The Strand. During that period of time it has let us document how wide our beaches have been. Now in July of 2008 we can see the past reoccurring as it does often times. I put a number if images up show you back in the 60's when the surf lapped on the Northern most portion of The Strand. It has happened in the late seventies and to some degree about every ten years.
The Federal Government has taken responsibility for clearing our harbor channel since the 1960's and has dredged millions of cubic yards of sand directly onto our beaches usually between the Pier and Wisconsin Street. Dredging this year made a noticeable improvement in the area South of the Pier and short of Wisconsin Street and almost ever bit of the material has now gone into the surf line, under water. Today's photos show that the surf broke on The Strand and deposited sand. This is an ominous sign for our future. It shows we are not replacing enough sand in order to protect The Stand and homes next to it. This erosion is predictable and if action is taken quickly we can avoid all of the dire consequences. I hope our City officials are doing everything they can to keep this from happening. If you question this just ask anyone who has been here for more than thirty years.