The city of Solana Beach sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Mike Levin in support of a $1 million funding request for two technical studies on the Regional Beach Sand Program.
The city is working with the San Diego Association of Governments on the third phase of the program. The letter urges Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, to include it in his Community Project Funding requests for the 2027 fiscal year.
“The requested funding would support an updated survey of offshore borrow sites to identify viable sand sources, and an updated nearshore habitat inventory to inform future environmental and design decisions,” the letter said. “The existing borrow site data has revealed some data gaps based on recent federal sand placement efforts, and the last offshore habitat inventory was completed in 2008. Without updated data, the region cannot proceed with the next phase of the project/program.”
According to SANDAG, Phase I of the project was completed in July 2025. It included preliminary planning activities in all of San Diego County’s coastal cities as well as San Clemente and Dana Point.
“Our coastline is one of the region’s most significant economic and environmental assets, and beach erosion remains an ongoing challenge. This is a modest request for two discrete, wellscoped studies that will unblock a major super- regional coastal project/program,” the letter said.