As many as five sand mines operated along the shoreline of the Monterey bay throughout the last century, scraping sand directly off of the beach. CEMEX extracts about 200,000 yds3 of sand from this back beach pond every year. Captions and Photograph courtesy of: © Gary Griggs
Excerpts;
In a letter sent March 17, the California Coastal Commission informed Cemex that it must shut down its sand mining operation in Marina, or face formal cease and desist and restoration order proceedings as well as administrative penalties…
The fact that the mine—which draws sand from a lagoon on the beach in Marina—had been in operation for over a decade before the Coastal Act was ratified in 1976, Ainsworth writes that the operators of the mine at that time should have obtained a coastal development permit before the act went into effect in 1977…
Read Full Article, Monterey County Now
Cemex mine reflects human hunger for sand, California, Monterey County Now (01-14-2016)
The disappearance of the beach reflects an alarming reality: Southern Monterey Bay, Marina in particular, has the highest coastal erosion rate in the state of California. For more than 20 years, scientists have speculated about the sand mine’s contribution to that erosion rate, and a 2008 study concluded it was the primary cause. The Cemex mine in Marina is the only remaining coastal sand mine in the entire United States. Which leads to new questions…
Monterey Bay, California: Beach Sand Mining from a National Marine Sanctuary; By Gary Griggs (09-01-2014)
The 30-mile long, continuous sandy shoreline around Monterey Bay is the most visited stretch of shoreline on the central coast. Yet, it holds the dubious distinction of being the only active beach sand mining operation along the entire United States shoreline. To make matters even worse, it all takes place along the shoreline of a protected National Marine Sanctuary. Something is seriously wrong with this picture…
Beach Sand Mining in Monterey Bay Causes a Dustup, WSJ (04-08-2014)
California’s Monterey Bay boasts one of the nation’s most protected coastlines, situated within a federal sanctuary that imposes bans on everything from Jet Skis to offshore drilling. Yet most days, hundreds of tons of sand are harvested from one of its most picturesque beaches, in a mining operation now coming under increased state and local scrutiny…
Sand Wars, An Investigation Documentary, By Multi Award-Winning Filmmaker Denis Delestrac (©-2013)
Documentary ‘Sand Wars’ Highlights Local, Global Sand Crises; Santa Cruz Sentinel (06-19-2015)
