Published November 7, 2026
NEWPORT BEACH | SURF & COAST | NOVEMBER 7, 2026
If you live past 36th Street, here’s some good news with a City Hall twist: the beach is getting a refill. We’re just paying for shipping.
On Oct. 19, the City Council voted 5-0 to hire Jeremy Harris Construction of Riverside for $1,487,678 to haul up to 100,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River mouth into the groin fields between 36th and 62nd streets. The council added a $375,000 cushion for surprises, about a quarter of the bid. Off-road trucks do the hauling, and the contractor gets 45 working days.
Why now? Public Works Director Dave Webb told the council erosion has sped up since about 2018, especially near 59th Street and the Wedge. The money comes from the city’s Tidelands Capital fund and fees oceanfront homeowners pay.
Here’s the fun part. That river sand is stuff the County clears out of the river mouth every three to four years anyway. So Councilmember Erik Weigand asked staff to send the County a bill. Webb said that was reasonable to ask. It’s like cleaning out your buddy’s garage, keeping the surfboards and charging him for the trip. The minutes don’t say whether the County has answered.
Then there’s the groin. A 1974 plan called for one at 62nd Street. It never got built. Webb said staff would bring it up with the Army Corps. Fifty-two years. Some projects move slow. Some just move into a filing cabinet.
Bigger stuff is on deck, too. At a beach study session Oct. 13, staff floated a roughly $5 million project to pump about 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the harbor entrance to the Wedge, maybe starting spring 2027.
The river still drops sand at the mouth for free. It just doesn’t do the last mile. That part’s $1.5 million.
Why is the sand disappearing in the first place? Read: Our Beach Is a River. Somebody Dammed It.
Photo: Sven Piper / Unsplash
Sources
- West Newport Beach Sand Replenishment staff report, Oct. 19, 2026 (City of Newport Beach)
- City Council minutes, Oct. 19, 2026 (City of Newport Beach)
- City Council minutes, Oct. 13, 2026 beach study session (City of Newport Beach)
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