1.0 Introduction
CHAPTER 1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
This Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Assessment (EA) addresses the potential
environmental consequences of the San Diego Association of Governments' (SANDAG) proposed
Regional Beach Sand Project. SANDAG proposes to replenish approximately 2 million cubic yards (cy)
of clean beach-quality sand on up to 13 receiver sites in the San Diego region. The receiver sites are
located from Oceanside in the north to Imperial Beach in the south. Sand would be dredged from six
offshore borrow sites. A regional location map, including the proposed receiver sites and sand borrow
sites, is shown in Figure 1-1.
SANDAG is the state lead agency responsible for compliance with the California Environmental Quality
Act of 1970 (CEQA) statutes (Cal. Pub. Res. Code 21 et seq., as amended) and implementing guidelines
(Cal. Code Regs., Title 14, 15000 et seq. (1998); and the Department of the Navy (Navy) is the federal
lead agency responsible for compliance with the National Environmental Quality Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42
U.S.C. 4332 (1994)) in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations
implementing NEPA (40 C.F.R. 1500-1508) and U.S. Navy regulations implementing NEPA (32
C.F.R. Part 775). The two agencies have agreed to prepare a joint EIR/EA pursuant to both CEQA and
NEPA. The Navy will be contributing funds for this project as appropriated by Congress in fiscal year
1998 Supplemental Appropriations and Re cission Act. An overview of NEPA and CEQA and other
applicable environmental laws and regulations is provided in Appendix A.
1.1.1
Project Background
The San Diego region's beaches and seacliffs have been steadily eroding for several decades. The region
is experiencing a net loss of sand at numerous beaches along its coastline. The Coast of California Storm
and Tidal Waves Study (CCSTWS), a six-year, million scientific evaluation of the San Diego region's
shoreline conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) documented the factors causing
shoreline erosion and projected trends of increasing beach loss and property damage in the future
(USACOE 1991).
Regional Beach Sand Project EIR/EA
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