Caring for the Coastline

Driving north from Ventura, one leaves behind the urbanized Oxnard Plain and enters the coastal stretch of U.S. 101. Here the steep undeveloped hillsides and cool ocean breezes make for a pleasant drive up the coast to Santa Barbara.

A couple of miles up the highway, a growing scar has appeared on the hillside. Extensive grading and earthmoving threatens to forever alter these hills and the coastal vista. On calling the California Coastal Commission, I learned that it was aware of the issue and that the project had not applied for any coastal development permits. I was glad to hear that this was not to become a “Rincon Hills” housing project.

Apparently, what started as a CalTrans effort to remove debris from storm channels near the highway has turned into a major alteration of the hillside. Because the contractor has gone far beyond the originally documented intent of the job, the Coastal Commission has issued a stop work order that will require CalTrans to apply for the appropriate permits.

The impacts of this earthmoving are not trivial. Beyond the immediate destruction of the visual aesthetics of our coastline, the denuded hillside will become highly susceptible to landslides during the coming rainy season. This late in the season and without appropriate permits, it is unlikely that revegetation will be accomplished in time to stabilize the exposed hillside. The erosion problem that caused the need for storm drain cleaning has now been made many times worse.

These impacts extend into our coastal waters, the eventual receiver of silt and debris. Our battered kelp beds and marine life choke to death on silt and muddy water from projects like this one. Additionally, the natural erosion of the coastal bluffs and hillsides serves as a primary source of new sand for Ventura beaches. More than 100,000 cubic yards of potential beach sand has been hauled to an inland site, aggravating to the ongoing erosion of the region’s sand-starved beaches.

Again we witness the gross insensitivity of CalTrans and its contractors to the natural aesthetics of Ventura County. The county is guilty of aiding CalTrans by ignoring the coastal plan that calls for a coastal development permit for projects of this nature. And the agency entrusted to enforce violations, the Coastal Commission, is so slow to react that the damage has already been done. Who is watching out for our coast?

PAUL JENKIN

Chair, Surfrider Foundation

Ventura County Chapter