MISSION BEACH — Members of the Surfrider Foundation are finding excess trash on the beach at the end of the long, black, pipe near San Juan Place. The pipe is part of the Mission Bay Channel dredging project, which is vital for public-safety. By dredging the channel — removing significant sand build-up and funneling it onto Mission Beach — the waters will be safer for lifeguard vessels, commercial fishermen and recreational boaters. The dredging will increase the depth of the channel and eliminate breaking waves, which are dangerous to vessels, especially when large swells are present, said Mayor Jerry Sanders in a statement from his office. Sanders secured $5.3 million of federal stimulus funding for the dredging project, which is overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers. Mason Construction has been contracted to carry out the approximate 30-day long dredging, which began Sept. 21. The sand being dredged from the channel is intended to replenish the beach. “We are concerned with beach safety and issues like this,” said Bill Hickman, spokesman for the San Diego Surfrider Foundation. He believes that debris on the sand poses a safety risk to beach-goers, he said. A grassroots organization, the Surfrider Foundation is committed to protecting the beaches. Hickman called the Army Corps of Engineers and spoke with a representative on Oct. 18, he said. “When I walked the tideline on [Oct. 18] I found armfuls of debris, everything from outdated soda and beer cans to old fishing gear to degraded lobster traps wrapped with wire to leftover caution tape from the project,” Hickman said. The city has weekly meetings with project officials to discuss the state of the project, and the topic of trash was brought up at the most recent meeting, said Alex Roth, spokesman for the mayor’s office. “We expect them to leave the beach as clean as they found it before this project started and we are confident that they are going to do that,” Roth said. He added that he believed Manson Construction will clean the beach area around the project until the dredging is complete. “Beaches should be barefoot friendly,” Hickman said.
