Excavation of lagoon inlet to begin Oct. 22

Routine dredging of the San Dieguito Lagoon inlet is set to begin Oct. 22, with two weeks of digging scheduled to clear a buildup of sand and reroute the river channel away from the riprap revetment protecting homes on Sandy Lane.

Workdays are scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and, if needed, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays through Nov. 5. Equipment will be parked on the beach overnight and cordoned off for safety.

Members of the public should avoid construction areas and obey all safety personnel, signage and parking restrictions on the west side of Camino Del Mar north and south of the San Dieguito River Bridge.

Southern California Edison pays for the biannual dredging as part of a mitigation agreement that began more than 20 years ago with the utility's financing of a $100 million restoration of the San Dieguito wetlands. The project created vast tidal basins and restored native vegetation west and east of Interstate 5.

For the upcoming work, crews will block the river inlet temporarily to create access beneath the bridge for equipment to export some 20,000 cubic yards sand to deposit on the beach north and south of the river inlet.

Although the dredging is not a City project, it will benefit Del Mar by improving the health of the lagoon and by creating a wider beach for recreation and flood protection, as identified in Del Mar's Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan.

Once the digging is done, crews will reopen a newly-created river channel during a low tide to allow water to flush from the lagoon basins into the sea.

Up and down the San Diego County shoreline, mechanical dredging of lagoon inlets allows for saltwater exchange that is critical to the wetlands' fragile ecology, which supports thriving communities of birds, marine life and vegetation.

At the San Dieguito Lagoon, as part of its mitigation agreement, Edison secured state, federal and local permits to maintain a free-flowing inlet. During construction, biologists will monitor the site to protect nesting birds and other wildlife.

Edison entered the mitigation agreement to compensate for harming marine life during operations of the now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

For questions or concerns, contact Edison's community liaison, Kelly Sarber: 760-613-5994.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.