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Swedish Family Donates 4-Pound Bag Of Sand To Port Hueneme

OXNARD (CBSLA.com/AP) — For one Ventura County beach city, every grain of sand counts.

KNX 1070's Bill Polish reports Port Hueneme is starved for sand because Congress has not allocated enough money to help repair the city's badly eroded beaches.

Swedish Family Donates 4-Pound Bag Of Sand To Port Hueneme

The city, home to a naval base and about 20,000 residents, is supposed to receive extra sand every two years through nearby dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the Associated Press.

But the most recent dredging wasn't done because of federal budget restraints, and now city officials warn the erosion problem is so bad that the ocean comes right up to a street on the west end of town.

On Wednesday, a four-pound bag of sand arrived at City Hall from Stockholm, Sweden, sent by a family who recently visited Port Hueneme.

"They sent us the sand as a token, number one, of their appreciation for the visit and encounters with our city officials, and more importantly, to highlight our plight with the federal government to discharge its responsibility," said Mayor Ellis Green.

The donation, however, is unlikely to significantly curb sand erosion in Port Hueneme, which Green said is now at a "critical stage."

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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