34 24' 45 N
119 41' 46 W

The coastine of Santa Barbara runs east and west, unlike most other parts of the California coastline that are oriented north to south. Since the current and waves enter the Santa Barbara channel from the west, sand transport mostly originates from the west. Wintertime storms strip the narrow beaches of most of their sand, while summer littoral drift replenishes them. When the breakwater to the harbor was constructed, the westward littoral drift was blocked, and sand immediately began to build up against the west side of the breakwater. As sand built up and widened the beaches west of the breakwater, beaches as far as 13 miles east of the harbor suffered from varying degrees of erosion.

When the beaches on the west became completely filled, sand began to move along the outer arm of the breakwater and into the harbor. On several occasions, sand accumulation has been so great that it has completely blocked the harbor entrance. So far, dredging has been the only solution. In the past 70 years, the harbor has been dredged continuously, costing the city millions of dollars in recent years.

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