SEAL BEACH : Protection Sought for Surfside Houses

Rapidly eroding beaches in the city’s Surfside community have left oceanfront homes with little protection from coming winter storms, according to city officials who are seeking federal help.

Mayor Marilyn Bruce Hastings wants federal lawmakers who represent the Seal Beach area to convince the Army Corps of Engineers the community could suffer substantial flood damage unless a “beach nourishment” project is reinstated.

“What people haven’t realized is how rapidly the sand has diminished,” Hastings said. “It’s going faster than we thought.”

The Corps of Engineers, which routinely puts new sand on Surfside beaches, canceled this year’s replenishment project because of uncertainties regarding required supplemental funding from county and state government, according to Hastings.

The city has contracted with the Long Beach marine engineering firm of Moffatt & Nichol to determine what temporary measures can be taken to prevent winter flooding.

“About 12 to 15 houses are in an extremely precarious position if we get any substantial winter storms,” said Dan Dorsey, assistant city manager and former lifeguard chief for the city.

“The amount of sand in front of these homes is extremely minimal.”

A temporary solution may be to take sand from the east side of the mile-long Surfside beach and transport it to the badly eroded west side, according to Dorsey.

But he said the city may not be able to afford the cost of transporting the sand.

Dorsey warns that big surf generated by winter storms in the Gulf of Alaska could come at any time.

“What we’re striving for is to get these residents through the winter,” Dorsey said. “We don’t have too much time.”