Strong winter storms in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002 severely eroded the park front and parking lots at Goleta Beach County Park. In February 2000 the County Parks Deparment constructed a controversial revetment of boulders to mitigate further erosion. In mid November 2000, the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District removed the revetment, and replaced it with a sand berm, emplaced in two stages: one of white sand before Christmas 2000, and one of brown sand before and after Christmas. The intention was that the sand berm would provide short term protection. In addition, sediment was dredged from Goleta Slough, piped directly to Goleta Beach, and flushed out onto the beach to replenish sand lost by longshore drift.

The sand berm was tested by storm waves riding on a 7' astronomical tide during the week of January 8-12, 2001. Only part of the berm did its job. Waves removed all of the sand for about 100 m of the west part of the berm, a stretch of beach rock and park, perhaps about 200 m long, was protected by just a small part of the berm that did not erode away. East of the berm, a stretch about 150 m long, was attacked directly by the waves. Earth moving equipment worked "feverishly" between tides to shore up the berm during the week of the storm.

As of 18 January 2001, larger and small parts of the berm remained, the beach rock was freshly eroded where unprotected by the berm remnants, and the dredge continued to flush Goleta Slough sediment onto the beach. The sand berm was rebuilt a few days later, and the dredge ceased operation for several days and then resumed operations on February 1, 2001.

Then, after much study by BEACON, an independent consultant, and some community discussion, a major program of beach sand nourishment was initiated in October 2003. Sand was dredged from Santa Barbara Harbor and barged to Goleta Beach where it was pumped with seawater through pipes onto the beach.