Sand retention structures will be necessary

Save Our Beaches believes that sand retention structures will be necessary on the sections of our coastline that are experiencing the highest rates of erosion — specifically the northern and southern sections. If unlimited funding and unlimited sand were available, sand replenishment alone would probably work. However, nearby sand sources appear to be limited, and funding is always scarce. Sand retention structures are notoriously difficult to permit in California, so it behooves us to begin the planning, selection, and design phases as soon as possible.

There are two important constraints. 1 - the structures must be approved by the Coastal Commission, so they must remain within the acceptable types. Coastal Commission prefers “nature-based solutions” and many of the traditional engineered structures can be re-imagined as “nature based.” Also, upon much prompting by Save Our Beaches, the Commissioners have expressed that “no specific structure is excluded from consideration.”

Second, these structures should have no affect on our most important surf breaks (Poche, 204s, T-Street, Rivi, and Cottons), and avoid impacts on other surfing resources. Preferably, these structures should possibly improve or add new surfing breaks.

Save Our Beaches, as part of its mission, is looking for solutions that are:

  • Technically feasible, preferably proven technology

  • Cost effective and practical

  • Likely to gain agency approval

  • Expected to have broad community support

1. Identify suitable nature-based solutions

In 2022, the City obtained a grant from the Coastal Commission to conduct a study of potential Nature-Based Solutions to coastal erosion, and hired the coastal engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol to conduct a study. In October 2023, the consultant proposed several options at a public workshop.

We believe that the first problem with this study is that the objective is poorly designed — in other words, what problem are these solutions trying to solve? Our goal is to restore our wide sandy beaches, but many of the solutions proposed by the City’s consultant seemed rather geared towards protecting coastal infrastructure — namely, the railroad tracks — while potentially degrading our sandy beaches even further.

Several of the proposed structures involved placing large (extremely large) quantities of rock and cobble either directly on our beaches (Living Shorelines) or at the shoreline and immediate offshore areas (cobble delta). These structures are clearly not intended to preserve the recreational value of our beaches and we oppose them resolutely.

Two of the proposed structures, groins and breakwaters, would help to restore and preserve our sandy beaches, and we would like to see those options continued forward, but with a nature-based approach. For example, groins could be re-imagined as artificial headlands or promontories, and breakwaters could be submerged and designed as an ecological habitat, or Living Artificial Reefs.

The City has indicated that a second round of options will be presented to the public in February or March 2024. Subsequently, one or more of the options will be brought forward for a feasibility design phase.

2. Develop and implement an in-water pilot project

The end product of the City’s Nature-Based Solutions project will be a Feasibility Study for one or more options. Hopefully the chosen option will be one that helps to restore our wide sandy beaches and meets our criteria as stated above. If so, we will then work towards finding funding to establish a pilot project for the option.

Funding for an in-water option such as an artificial reef could be in the $10M range, so it is likely that the City will submit grant proposals for funding.

3. Develop city-wide plan for retention & replenishment

Either concurrently or subsequent to the pilot project, a comprehensive sand retention plan for our coastline should be developed. It is not clear whether sand retention designs will be included in the ongoing Feasibility Study for the SANDAG RBSP III. A determination will be made whether it is preferable to first replenish sand, or first install sand retention structures.

4. Identify entity best suited to fund and implement

This full program of replenishment and retention will cost at least tens of millions of dollars and require permitting by a myriad of agencies. The City, acting on its own, may find it challenging to achieve these ambitious goals. Therefore it may be advantageous to examine whether another entity would be more successful at obtaining funding and permitting.

Over the past few years, it has been apparent that there is one entity that has been extremely successful at both obtaining funding and permits for coastal work: OCTA. Whether at Cyprus Shores or Mariposa Promontory, OCTA has the ability to get its projects completed. This is partly due to its importance as a local transportation corridor, but even more importantly due to its importance in our nation’s security as part of the Strategic Rail Corridor (STRACNET).

As a result of the numerous “emergencies” experienced by OCTA over the past few years, they have initiated two studies. The Orange County Coastal Rail Resilience Study is intended to examine options for stabilizing the tracks in place over the next few decades. Save Our Beaches SC has been designated as a stakeholder in this process, and we hope to engage with OCTA to develop and approve the option that has worked to stabilize their tracks for the last 120 years: a wide sandy beach. We are working on a conceptual plan that will both protect their tracks and our beach — a “win-win” solution.

A second study, slated to take five years and awaiting funding, is to study the feasibility of moving the tracks inland by tunneling approximately ten miles under the 5 freeway. This is a project that will require tens of billions of dollars and 30 years to achieve, if indeed it is even possible. We believe that this project means nothing for our coastline, and focus on relocation is simply a distraction from the destruction that OCTA can potentially wreak on our beaches over those decades.

Save Our Beaches believes that OCTA could be our best partner in restoring our beaches.

5. Construct projects with adaptive management approach

Implementation of in-water projects, such as artificial headlands or Living Artificial Reefs, will require an adaptive management approach. Adaptive management involves a dynamic and iterative approach to decision-making and implementation, particularly in the face of uncertainty and changing conditions. It emphasizes learning from outcomes, feedback, and new information to continuing strategies and actions. This approach recognizes that natural systems are complex and potentially unpredictable, requiring flexibility and responsiveness. Adaptive management fosters resilience and enhances the effectiveness of projects.