ao It is not advisable for the United States to adopt a 

 project for the improvement of beaches in Santa ferbara County^ 



bo The public interest involved in the improvement and 

 maintenance of the beaches is associated 7d.th the benefits there- 

 from to liie publicly-owned shore which comprises a length of about 

 lo5 miles in a total length of 10 miles of affected shore; 



Co No data are available upon which to base a determina- 

 tion of the extent of Federal participation under Public Law 7275 

 79th Congress, as local interests did not desire to have the necessary 

 investigations included in the present study, therefore waived any 

 rights to such participation at this timeo In any event, the ad- 

 opted program, continuation of which is recommended, is essentially 

 a maintenance programo Therefore, no share of its cost should be 

 borne by the United States beyond that in connection with maintenance 

 of the harbor as authorized by existing law. 



The Board recommended no modification in the existing Federal 

 project for maintenance of Santa Kirbara Harbor in the interest of 

 beach restoration or maintenance o 



VUWSk LAS MARIAS, SM JUAN, PUERTO RICO 



The investigation covered the north shore of Puerto Rico from 

 a point about 4^,000 feet west of Punta Las Marias eastward to Boca 

 de Cangrejos, a distance of about 5 mileso That section is located 

 within the limits of municipalities of San Juan and Carolina, Tsiiich 

 had a combined population of about 193,000 in I94O0 The coastal 

 area is generally a low sandy formation separating the Atlantic 

 Ocean from tidal lagoons o The 5 miles of ocean shore in the study 

 area shoreward of the high water line are privately-owned with the 

 exception of publicly-owned street ends and about 300 feet comprising 

 tno detached parcels owned by the United States | the strip known as 

 the maritime zone which extends generally between the low and high 

 water lines appears to be owned by the Puerto Rico Government » The 

 rates of recession of the shore line in the area from 1859 to 194-6 

 varied from an average of about Oo5 foot per' year at B^ca de Cangrejos 

 to about 7o5 feet per year west of Middle Pointo Local interests have 

 constructed various tj-pes of beach protective structures at the de- 

 veloped areas of Punta Las Marias and Middle Point with varying degrees 

 of effectiveness o The areas now constituting the most critical pro- 

 blem are at Punta Las Marias j, a highly developed residential section 

 involving a frontage of about = 5 mils, and at Middle Point involving 

 a frontage of some 0=4 mile which includes residences, bathing beach 

 and entertainment facilities » 



The purpose of the Board's study was to determine the best 

 method of preventing further erosion of the shore and restoring or 

 stabilizing the beach, principally with a view to protecting exist- 

 ing property o The Board reviewed the geological history of the area 

 and studied the tides, currents, winds and wave action, changes in 

 hydrographic detail, movement of beach material and effect of 



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