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 City of Solana Beach
Section 1
Shoreline and Coastal Bluff Management Strategies Draft MEIR
Introduction
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this MEIR is to provide the City of Solana Beach Council and the public with an
assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with alternative policies or
programs for managing the City's coastline. The MEIR also is intended to provide a detailed
review of proposed coastal management policies and programs upon which the approval of
subsequent related coastal management projects or the adoption of coastal management
policies/programs could be based. The City is the lead agency responsible for compliance with
the CEQA statutes (Pub. Resources Code, 21000 et seq., as amended).
1.1 Study Area
The City of Solana Beach is located on the northern coast of San Diego County (Figure 1-1).
The City is approximately 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, with neighboring cities
including Encinitas to the north and Del Mar to the south. To the east are unincorporated areas
of San Diego County, which include the communities of Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks
Ranch, as well as San Dieguito Regional Park. The Pacific Ocean is located to the west and
San Elijo Lagoon is located along the City's northern boundary. As shown in Figure 1-2, the
project study area encompasses the coastal bluffs located within the boundaries of the City of
Solana Beach. More specifically, the project study area comprises the properties located along
1.7 miles of beach within the City's boundaries and on the west side of Pacific Avenue and
South Sierra Avenue.
1.2 History and Background
Beach sand is a product of weathering of the land. The primary natural source for the region's
beaches is sediment carried from inland areas by rivers and streams. Over the past half-
century, human actions have been the major influence affecting the shoreline. Through urban
development activities, including water reservoir and dam building, flood control systems, and
sand mining, natural sediment transport has been hindered or eliminated. Most major coastal
streams have at least one dam and reservoir. Much of the fresh water that naturally flows to
coastal wetlands is diverted to farms and cities. These dams reduce the size of flood flows and
thus reduce the flushing of sediment from estuaries. They also trap sand that would otherwise
nourish coastal beaches. This beach sand is the primary buffer protecting seacliffs and coastal
development from erosion and storm damage. To offset the loss of natural sand sources no
longer reaching the shoreline, previous projects have built "man-made" beaches. Most of the
sand for this purpose has come from the massive harbor dredging projects in San Diego Bay
and Oceanside Harbor.
The natural sand cycle is a seasonal process. For the San Diego region, beach sand loss
typically occurs in the winter due to large storms and waves, followed by a period of sand gain
during the summer's gentler storms and surf. During the winter, sand shifts from the beach
Project No. 323530000
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