Hope for 7 miles of Eroding SoCal Coast

After years of multi-agency handwringing but few practical solutions, OC Parks has taken the lead to secure funding and gather key stakeholders to hammer out practical solutions to mitigate some of the area’s chronic coastal erosion.

OCParks was recently selected as a recipient of Prop 68 grant funding through the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC). Prop 68 was approved by voters in June 2018, creating a $4 billion fund to address “California drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protections and outdoor access for all.” Now, thanks to OC Parks' leadership, OPC funding up to $214,500 will help provide the building blocks for the South Orange County Regional Coastal Resilience Strategic Plan.

Many, if not most, beaches in Southern Orange County have experienced serious erosion, due to chronic sand starvation exacerbated by sea level rise, high surf and King Tide events. This plan will focus on the 7-mile stretch from Dana Point Harbor to San Clemente State Beach where shorelines are narrowing every year and beaches (along with valuable infrastructure) are at risk of washing away if resilience strategies are not implemented. The region has already seen significant losses, particularly along Doheny State Beach where most of the palm trees and a good part of the south parking lot have tumbled into the ocean, and Capistrano Beach Park, where a beautiful boardwalk, sidewalks, parking spots, restrooms and an entire basketball court succumbed to erosive events.

The Plan’s main objective is to assess, prioritize and advance a resiliency strategy to increase the viability of south Orange County beaches and reduce the risk to coastal resources, thousands of residents and beachgoers.

The County of Orange (OC Parks), identified as the lead planning agency, will work collaboratively with State Parks, the cities of Dana Point and San Clemente, OCTA, SCWD, other agencies and community stakeholders to establish appropriate roles and develop a comprehensive governance structure. Existing data will be evaluated and collected beginning in May through December 2021 with stakeholder meetings starting this summer. Cost estimates, a funding plan and the draft Regional Strategic Plan will be developed by May 2022.

Asked whether the plan will result in what residents are really hoping for -- some sand to replenish starving beaches, Susan Brodeur, Senior Coastal Engineer with OCParks said, “The Plan will integrate all the technical studies that have been done in the region and identify data gaps (like mapping offshore sediment sources). We plan to review various models for implementing regional beach restoration projects (like BEACON or SANDAG), looking at ways to collaborate with state and federal agencies and other partners in the region. And YES, we will discuss the issues and hopefully agree on a course of action for restoring and retaining sand.”

Long term Capistrano Beach resident and avid beachgoer, Rich Heine, said “It’s about time. Kudos to OCParks for getting stakeholders together to finally start talking about this issue and looking for solutions.”