Shoring Up the Coastline

Gov. Gray Davis announced $10 million in grants Wednesday to replenish eroding public beaches, including nearly $4.7 million for the Orange County coastline.

The money will be used in two ways. Some will pay for immediate sand-replenishment projects to restore dwindling stretches of coast from San Francisco to San Diego. But much will be used to study natural replenishment processes, with the goal of decreasing constant, costly sand replacement projects.

“California’s beaches are a valuable ecological, economic and recreational resource,” Davis said in a written statement. “These grants will help cities and counties along the coast to restore public beaches and study new approaches to controlling seashore erosion.”

Stanley Young, spokesman for the governor’s Resources Agency, said: “We have a full-court press on here to find solutions that work in the long term.”

While Orange County received much of the grant money, many other localities fared well. San Diego County cities were allocated more than $2.2 million. Los Angeles County received $500,000, Long Beach received $100,000 and the city and county of San Francisco received $1 million. The grants also include $500,000 for a five-year study to measure the effects of waves on sediment transport.

Locally, tiny Surfside/Sunset Beach received $3.85 million, by far the single largest grant, because it serves as a “feeder” beach that nourishes 17 miles of shore between Seal Beach and Newport Beach. Also, Surfside traditionally has the county’s worst erosion. The ocean’s ebb and flow pulls away tons of sand, precariously exposing million-dollar homes.

The problem stems from the construction of a jetty by the corps in the 1940s to protect the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. The jetty blocks natural sand movement, meaning that lost sand isn’t replaced.

Elsewhere in the county, Seal Beach received $113,750; Huntington Beach received $255,250; Newport Beach received $40,000, and San Clemente received $425,000.

Huntington Beach spokesman Rich Barnard said he was delighted to learn that the city had received funding. The money will be used as matching funds for a $1-million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study of shore protection and beach restoration along the Huntington Bluffs area.

Beach erosion is often caused by development, such as sea walls, that interfere with natural processes.

Scientists will focus on preventing erosion by learning more about how waves bring sand to beaches, and creating a sediment model that reflects West Coast wave patterns.

Christopher J. Evans, executive director of the San Clemente-based Surfrider Foundation, said he was heartened to hear that Davis is earmarking money to search for natural alternatives.

“Those natural processes are way bigger and much more effective than anything man has ever done on any beach anywhere,” he said.

Evans said state officials must take a serious look at curbs on armoring of the coast--the construction of sea walls and other development that interferes with natural wave action.

At least one-quarter of the shoreline along a 535-mile stretch from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Mexico border is fortified, according to the California Coastal Commission. Studies show that this “armoring of the coast” churns up the water so severely that sand is often washed away.

“Those kind of practices have hurt our coast, and are robbing from future generations,” he said. “Two hundred years ago, natural processes were nourishing our beaches in ways we don’t see anymore.”

Evans said sea walls should be permitted only in true emergency situations, when life or property is seriously threatened.

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Beach Restoration

Gov. Gray Davis announced $10 million in grants Wednesday to restore California beaches. The money will be used for sand replenishment projects and for studies of natural replenishment.

Source: Governor Gray Davis’ office