SANDAG was awarded a grant from the California Department of Boating and Waterways to prepare a Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP), which is a component of the California Coastal Sediment Management Master Plan.
The Sediment Master Plan assesses California's coastal sediment management needs on a system wide basis through collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies and nongovernmental organizations. One of the goals of the Sediment Master Plan is to develop a process that facilitates the management of sand on a regional basis.
The SCOUP provides protocols and templates for a generic regional opportunistic sand program for California. A pilot has been developed based on an application of the SCOUP to the Oceanside littoral cell in the San Diego region, allowing jurisdictions to take advantage of opportunistic sand sources and place compatible materials on beaches in their area. SANDAG has developed environmental documentation to enable the City of Oceanside to obtain federal, state, and local permits for placement of sand on its local beach.
In addition, SANDAG worked with the cities of Coronado, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, and Solana Beach to develop environmental documentation to enable these cities to obtain permits for placement of sand on the beaches in their cities.