further consideration of sucn plant due to the fact that under a . 

 pending review study^ they propose to submit a plan for harbor en- -_ 

 largement which will necessitate revision of former plans for the 

 pumping plant o 



The coast in the vicinity of Santa Birbara is generally rugged 

 with resistant headlands and with intervening coves having beaches 

 of material ranging from sand to cobbleSo Exceptions are two broad 

 lowlands within the study area^ namely the area occupied by the City 

 of Santa Kirbaraj, and Sand Point o Both have long unbroken stretches 

 of beachj which were relatively stable prior to the construction of 

 the breakwater o The natiiral sand cover on the beaches is thin, 

 ranging from a few inches to 3 or 4- feet in thickness, so that even 

 slight erosion leaves them bare and unattractive as recreational 

 areas o Most of the beach material is brought down from the mountains 

 by numerous short streams o Swells from the west with virtually an 

 unlimited fetch of water cause an almost continuous eastward sand 

 movemento From 1937 to 194-6 this material shoaled ttie harbor at an 

 average rate of 775 cubic yards a dayo The interruption of this 

 sustaining supply during the period 1928 to 1938 caused recession 

 of the beaches east of the harbor which could not be rectified 

 immediately by deposit of sand on the feeder beacho 



Under the program recommended by the Board in 1938, over 

 2,500s,000 cubic yards of sand have been dredged from the harbor 

 and deposited on the feeder beach to the east during the period, 

 1938 to 194-5 o The dredging and sand deposition operations were 

 carried out during several months of each of the years 1938, 1940, 

 1942, and 1945 o Natural forces have distributed this material over 

 the beaches in the study areao By varying the length and width of 

 the deposit area it was found that the rate of movement from the 

 shortest area was lower than for longer areas = 



Local interests consider the adopted plan of beach restoration 

 and maintenance by artificial nourishment effective, but generally 

 feel that continuous supply by means of fixed plant to bypass sand 

 before it shoaled the harbor would have advantages over the present 

 method of supplying sand periodically by floating plant in connec- 

 tion with harbor maintenance <> The disadvantages of the present pro- 

 gram cited are shoaling of tte harbor, periodic congestion of the 

 harbor by floating plant and pipe lines, and cycles of alternate 

 abundance and starvation of the beacho Some doubts are raised as 

 to whether a fixed plant would intercept all material so as to 

 eliminate maintenance dredging of the harbor o 



County officials suggested a groin-building program beginning 

 near the east limit of tte study and progressing westward as the 

 groins are filled, in an attempt to build up a wider beacho Private 

 interests have advocated removal of from one to all of the existing 

 groins, anticipating a better or more equal distribution of sando 



The District Engineer studied the results of artificial re- 

 plenishment and concluded that; 



26 



