Goleta Beach Nourishment Project - Fall 2003

The project was funded in 2000 and finally, it started in October 2003. It is a stop gap attempt to stall or prevent further erosion of Goleta Beach County Park and to restore the beach.

Goleta Beach, view east, with sand nourishment equipment being emplaced (9 October 2003). ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

The subject beach was to be nourished with 80,000 cu. yds of dredged sand from Santa Barbara Harbor, but eventually only 60,000 cu. yds. were available. Subsequently, another 20,000 cu. yds. were dredged from Goleta Creeks and emplaced at the west end of the beach in December 2003. Goleta Beach park is left of the fence and includes the area of trees left of the bulldozer. Big rocks in the foreground are part of the rock reventment placed along the western part of the beach cliff in front of the parking lot in February 2000 to retard further erosion of the parking lot. The pipes carried the dredged sand and seawater to the beach for redistribution by the earth moving equipment. ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

Sand and seawater were pumped from a barge (not visible) through the pipe onto the shore (9 October 2003). ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

The sand and seawater mix was then flushed into a trench in the top of the sandpile between the park and the ocean. ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

The sand dries out after it sits in the trench for a while, so that earth movers can redistribute it. ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

Sand in the trench builds up to provide protection for the tree and the rest of Goleta Beach park. ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

Earth moving equipment restibutes the sand, and deepens the trench to receive the next batch of sand. ©Arthur G. Sylvester 2003.

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West End Nourishment 2004