|
Bolsa Chica
Wetlands Maintenance Dredging Program
In order to maintain the restored wetlands at Bolsa Chica in Orange
County, accumulated beach sand in the inlet of the Full Tidal Basin
must periodically be removed and placed back onto the downcoast
beach. This maintenance action is part of the original restoration
design and will need to be performed approximately every two years.
Maintaining an unobstructed passageway to the ocean is vital to the
proper functioning of the tidal portions of the restoration area and
of the normal processes of sand transport that maintain coastal
beaches.
The first maintenance dredge activity began in the winter of 2009
and was completed in the spring of 2009. More than 200,000 cubic
meters of accumulated sand was dredged and placed on the nearby
beach. Field studies have documented that sand has re-accumulated in
the inlet as predicted by the restoration program design model and a
second maintenance dredging event is warranted. The upcoming
dredging will remove up to 300,000 cubic meters (392,400 cubic
yards. The upcoming dredge will be located in the Full Tidal Basin
inlet and will last four months, starting in January
2011. Operations will occur up to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
In order to minimize noise and air pollution concerns, the dredge
will be powered by electricity rather than diesel fuel.
The sand dredged from the inlet
will be pumped through a flexible pipe out onto the beach to the
south of the inlet. The wet sand will flow to the surf zone and will
also be distributed across the beach by earth moving
equipment. Beach closures in the sand pumping area will be limited
to a 300-foot wide stretch of beach at the discharge point, within
which access by the public will be prohibited. The closed area will
shift down the beach as the sand is placed and work moves to new
areas. The sand has been cored and tested to confirm that it is
composed of clean, beach-grade sand.
Dredging updates can be accessed at
www.bolsachicarestoration.org.
Back To Southern California Coastal and Estuarine Page
12/16/10 |
 |
