Carlsbad Sand Dredging Project Protects Beaches, Water Supply

Heavy equipment will dominate a stretch of Carlsbad’s beach near the old Encina Power Plant for the next month.

Crews are funneling thousands of cubic yards of sand per day onto the beach, not only to protect the shoreline, but also the water supply.

Poseidon Water, which runs the desalination plant adjacent to the old power plant is running the project. The desalination plant converts 50 million gallons of ocean water to drinking water per day, providing 10 percent of the region’s water supply.