The restoration of the dunes of the former Cemex mine in Marina has yet to begin.

In July 2017, history was made in Marina when the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a consent order with Cemex, a multinational building materials conglomerate based in Mexico, to shut down its sand mine on the northern coast of Marina by Dec. 31, 2020.

It was the last remaining coastal sand mine in the country – it had been in operation since 1906 – and which scientists had long argued was creating coastal erosion rates in southern Monterey Bay that were among the highest on the entire West Coast.

As part of that order, which Cemex agreed to, the company is required to restore the property’s habitat by Dec. 31, 2023.

Justin Buhr, an analyst with the Coastal Commission, confirms Cemex did adhere to its mining limits in the ordered three-year phaseout of the mining operation, but that site restoration has yet to begin. He hopes some work can start this summer pending sign-off from multiple agencies, including the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Concerned members of the public have continued to reach out to Buhr since the mining shut down, he says, as they’ve seen piles of sand moving around on the site, but the order only required Cemex to cease new mining by the end of 2020 – they still have until the end of 2023 to process and sell their existing stock.

“I fully expect they’re going to take every grain that they rightfully have ownership of,” Buhr says.

A Cemex spokesperson writes by email that the company “continues to perform its obligations under the reclamation plan for the Lapis Sand Mine approved by the State Mining and Geology Board.”

Also as part of the order, Cemex will have to sell the property at below market value to a nonprofit; there is no deadline on when that sale must happen.

As for what happens to the buildings on the property, it’s an open question – the consent order requires restoration of dune habitat, but leaves open the possibility that some of the structures could remain for their potential historical or educational value.