Man-made sandbar might save disappearing Ocean Beach

Saw this on mercurynews.com:

Man-made sandbar might save disappearing Ocean Beach

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Engineers believe they have solved the problem of Ocean Beach's disappearing coastline, which has vexed engineers for decades while creating millions of dollars in damage.
The Pacific Ocean takes more sand than is replaced, which has resulted in disappearing sand dunes south of Sloat Boulevard and damage to beach parking lots and the Great Highway.
The Army Corps of Engineers believes the solution lies in the creation of a sandbar a half-mile offshore using 300,000 cubic yards of sand it dredges each year from the shipping channel outside the Golden Gate.
The sandbar will lessen the wave energy and provide sand to replenish what is washed off the beach, engineers believe.
The corps has tested the idea, and dropped about 275,000 cubic yards of sand in June 2005. It dumped another 300,000 cubic yards in May.
Patrick Barnard, a coastal geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said tests show that the 1,000-meter stretch of coastline targeted in the tests has grown by three feet.
Even if the experiment is behind the beach's three-foot growth, engineers say it may take 10 or 20 years to restore the beach. There are still issues outstanding, such as the ideal shape and location for the sandbar.

Taken from: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16563632.htm