thumbnail

Coastal monitoring of the May 2005 dredge disposal offshore of Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Calif.

Open-File Report 2006-1140
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20061140

Links

Abstract

Ocean Beach, California, contains an erosion hot spot in the shadow of the San Francisco ebb tidal delta south of Sloat Boulevard that threatens valuable public infrastructure as well as the safe recreational use of the beach. In an effort to reduce the erosion at this location and avoid hazardous navigation conditions at the current disposal site (SF-8), a new plan for the management of sediment dredged annually from the main shipping channel at the mouth of Francisco Bay was implemented in May 2005 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District (COE). The objective for COE was to perform a test dredge disposal of ~230,000 m3 (300,000 yd3) of sand just offshore of the erosion hot spot, in depths between approximately 9 and 14 m. This disposal site was chosen because it is in a location where the strong tidal currents associated with the mouth of San Francisco Bay and waves can potentially feed sediment toward the littoral zone in the reach of the beach that is experiencing critical erosion. The onshore migration of sediment from the target disposal location might feed the primary longshore bar or the nearshore zone, and provide a buffer to erosion that peaks during winter months when large waves impact the region. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Sea Floor Mapping Lab (SFML) of California State University, Monterey Bay, monitored the initial bathymetric evolution of the test dredge disposal site and the adjacent coastal region from May 2005 to November 2005. This paper reports on this monitoring effort and assesses the short-term coastal response.

Suggested Citation

Barnard, P., Hanes, D.M., 2006, Coastal monitoring of the May 2005 dredge disposal offshore of Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Calif. (Version 1.0): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1140, iv, 23 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20061140.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Coastal monitoring of the May 2005 dredge disposal offshore of Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Calif.
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2006-1140
DOI 10.3133/ofr20061140
Edition Version 1.0
Year Published 2006
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Ocean Beach Coastal Processes Study
Description iv, 23 p.
Country United States
State California
City San Francisco
Other Geospatial Ocean Beach
Additional publication details