Barbara. The general direction of the coast in this area is east 

 and west. A chain of islands lies from 25 to 4.0 miles off the area, 

 separated from the mainland by Santa ferbara channel. 



The city and county of Santa Barbara have populations of 38,300 

 and 87,000 respectivelyo The area is a well-established sea-shore 

 resort, popular during all seasons. All of the beaches within the 

 city of Santa Barbara are publicly-owned j the beaches between the 

 city boundary and Sand Point are privately-owned. The climate is 

 mild throughout the year and the annual rainfall averages about 20 

 inches . 



Santa Barbara Harbor is formed ty a breakwater 2,800 feet in 

 length, constructed in 1928 by local interests without Federal 

 assistance. It is located about 3,600 feet east of Santa ^.rbara 

 Point. The breakwater impounded the large eastward littoral drift, 

 with the result that its impounding capacity was reached in 1933 and 

 sand began to pass around its end into the harbor. A more serious 

 result was starvation and severe erosion of beaches to the east. 



A Federal project for maintenance of Santa ferbara Harbor by 

 dredging at a cost not to exceed |30,000 per annum was authorized 

 in 1935. The first dredging was done the same year by hopper dredge, 

 the sand being deposited about 1,000 feet offshore and east of the 

 harbor in the belief that some of the material might eventually 

 reach the denuded beaches. This did not happen. 



In 1938, a cooperative beach erosion study of the area was 

 made by the feach S'osion Bbard, the report on which is published in 

 House Document No, 552, 75th Congress, 3d Session. It recommended 

 deposition of dredged material from the harbor on the beach to the 

 east, the costs thereof in excess of 130,000 a year to be borne by 

 local interests and subsequent observation of the results obtained. 

 This program was begun in 1938. Dredging was repeated in 194-0. A 

 supplementary report made by the Board in 194-2 concluded that con- 

 tinued artificial nourishment of the feeder beach east of the harbor 

 appeared desirable, but that further observations of its effect on 

 beaches to the east were necessary. Harbor maintenance and de- 

 position of material on "Uie feeder beach was repeated in 194-2 and 

 19/!i.5. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine 

 the effectiveness of the program initiated in 1938 for beach re- 

 storation by artificial nourishment and the desirability of taking 

 further measures to increase its effectiveness. 



A reexamination of the Santa ferbara Harbor project, made in 

 194.1 and published in House Document No. 34-8, 77th Congress, 1st 

 session, recommended modification of the project to permit main- 

 tenance of the harbor and beaches east thereof by means of a fixed 

 sand-intercepting plant to be provided and operated by and at the 

 expense of local interests, the United States to make available 

 for such operation not to exceed $30,000 per annum less the actual 

 cost of any dredging of the harbor that might be necessary in 

 addition to the operation of the plant. The proposed sand-inter- 

 cepting plant has not been provided. Local interests have deferred 



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