Oceanside CA— The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will soon begin a sediment removal project in the San Luis Rey River (SLRR). The project is needed to increase flow capacity in the river, and is the next step following vegetation mowing, to move the river closer to a 100-year flood level capacity. The project consists of removing approximately 230,000 cubic yards of sediment material from the river, and is scheduled to begin construction about October 10, 2016. Sediment removal will take place in the river from just west of Benet Road to east of Foussat Road in Oceanside.
The project will be split into two phases with the first phase being the removal of sediment from the SLRR and transporting the material to El Corazon for storage, testing and processing. Phase I of the project will start around October 10 and be completed by March 31. The second phase will include transporting any beach quality sand from El Corazon to City beaches. Phase II of the project will start around March 15 and be completed by May 29.
Material that is classified as “beach quality” sand will be deposited on City beaches under the Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP) which allows compatible sand to be placed when made available through development, grading projects, sediment basins or as other opportunities arise. Under this permit, the sand can be deposited in either of two placement sites from Oceanside Boulevard to Buccaneer Beach, or from Seagaze Drive to Pine Street. USACE also has another permit in place for this project which allows sand to be deposited between Tyson Street and Wisconsin Street, which currently has the greatest need and is a priority location.

Due to the amount of material to be removed, there will be heavy construction equipment and dump trucks running continuously for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, and the San Luis Rey Bike Trail will be completely closed during Phase I of the project (approximately October 10 – March 31) from Foussat Road to Douglas Drive. USACE requires a closure for safety purposes, due to the amount of heavy equipment and truck traffic on the levee and the potential for considerable pavement damage. The contractor will be responsible to restore the bike trail to its pre-construction condition when the project is completed.
A bike detour will be set up during this closure. Trail users traveling westbound will initially encounter the closure/detour starting at Douglas Drive. The detour will direct traffic south on Douglas Drive, west on Pala Road, south on Los Arbolitos Boulevard, south on Fireside Street, west on Mission Avenue and then north on Foussat Road where the trail can be accessed again. Updates to the public will be made periodically as the project progresses.