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Carlsbad staff outline regional dredging projects and timelines, Agua Hedionda permit pushed to early 2025
Summary
City parks planning staff briefed the Carlsbad Beach Preservation Commission on recurring and regional dredging projects affecting beach sand volumes and said the Agua Hedionda Lagoon project’s beach work is now expected to be completed by about April 15, 2025, pending multiple permits.
City staff presented a detailed overview Tuesday of dredging and nourishment projects that can add sand to Carlsbad beaches and sketched a permitting timeline for the Agua Hedionda Lagoon effort that could push beach work into early 2025.
Parks planning manager Mr. Stupen told the Beach Preservation Commission that the city tracks three main categories of dredging work — recurring maintenance, development-driven dredging and regional nourishment projects — and that several projects in each category could shift sand onto Carlsbad’s shoreline.
“Recurring maintenance projects we know of include the Oceanside Harbor dredging, the Agua Hedionda Lagoon outer basin and the Badaquitos Lagoon maintenance project,” Mr. Stupen said. He said Agua Hedionda is expected to place “well over 300,000 cubic yards” on local beaches, that Badaquitos maintenance typically places about 118,000 cubic yards on southern beaches, and that the regional nourishment project being tracked could move roughly 350,000 cubic yards regionwide if funded.
Commissioners pressed staff on permitting and timing for Agua Hedionda. Dominic Massaro of Anchor QEA, representing Channel Sidewater Resources on that project, said the applicant’s permit submittals list roughly 450,000 cubic yards with contingency and that the application process involves multiple agencies, including the State Lands Commission, the Water Board, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Coastal Commission, California State Parks (right-of-entry) and the City of Carlsbad. Massaro said the completion target for having material off the beaches is about April 15, 2025, and that construction was expected to begin in early 2025 if permits are secured.
Massaro said the city and project team have sought two rounds of comments from the Coastal Commission and were working to address agency input. “No major obstacles yet, but it’s a pretty tight deadline to make the end of the year so that construction can begin as soon as the new year starts,” he said.
Director Lancaster clarified that the end-of-work date had been targeted for April 15, 2025 and that project start dates slid as the team completed permitting and special-use-permit (SUP) requirements. Mr. Stupen added that other development projects (including a double-track rail project coordinated by SANDAG and Caltrans and a Buena Vista Lagoon enhancement project) could also produce sand that migrates to Carlsbad beaches through littoral processes.
Commissioners requested that staff produce a one-page matrix or spreadsheet summarizing each tracked project, the estimated cubic-yard volumes where provided, start and completion estimates and likely funding sources so the commission can review updates easily at future meetings.
Next steps: staff said city planning and Parks & Rec will continue coordinating with permitting agencies, with a Planning Commission SUP hearing anticipated in December for at least part of the Agua Hedionda approvals. Construction and material placement were described as contingent on final permits and permit conditions.
