A California city council has voted to ban digging holes on public beaches
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The Del Mar City Council unanimously approved the ordinance during a meeting on Feb. 3
The rule aims to prevent hazards like collapses, trip-and-fall risks, and blocked emergency access
A California city council unanimously approved an ordinance banning a "hazardous" activity on city beaches: digging holes. The Del Mar City Council voted on the change during a meeting on Feb. 3.
"Recently, staff and concerned members of the community have observed an increase in the digging of hazardous holes and the burying of individuals," city employees Maggie Jones, Jon Edelbrock and Ashley Jones wrote in an introduction to the ordinance in the Feb. 3 city council agenda report.
There are several reasons for the unusual move. "This has resulted in safety concerns including collapse hazards, trip-and-fall risks, impediments to emergency vehicles and equipment, and potential injury or suffocation," they write.
The public servants say they developed the proposed ordinance after reviewing similar regulations adopted by nearby coastal jurisdictions. They reported that Los Angeles County, and the cities of Imperial Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach already had limitations in place regarding digging holes.
According to the proposed ordinance, visitors are prohibited from digging holes 2 feet or deeper, burying individuals below the sand level, burying garbage or other waste in the sand and leaving holes unattended by a "responsible adult." It also directs parents of children who dug holes to fill them in prior to leaving the beach area.
"The goal is to clarify allowed activities, establish safety standards and ensure responsible beach use," Jones, the management analyst for the city's Community Services Department, said during the Feb. 3 meeting, per theSan Diego Union Tribune.
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The ordinance says enforcement will be handled through the Community Services Department staff, who will also create public signage, provide verbal warnings and, when necessary, issue administrative citations for non-compliance.
Valentina Woody, who was enjoying the beach with her kids on Sunday, tellsNBC San Diegoshe's not a fan of the ban, but understands the motivation.
"It is very weird," she says. "I feel like I should have the freedom to do what I want on the beach, of course legally, and I think for me as a parent, my kids should be able to have open freedom and range to everything."
Woody adds: "I think having holes or digging holes, structures or whatever, let them use their own creativity."
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According to the local outlet, the ordinance is set to go into effect in March.
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