The proposal would involve beneficial reuse of sediment and deploying living shorelines
The loss of sand has become a growing problem. The dangers of beaches disappearing from the impact of sea level rise is not news to anyone who lives, works, or even visits beaches in LA County. The noticeable impact continues to prompt local activists and agencies to bring awareness about the threats of climate change.
In the latest Board of Supervisors meeting on Nov. 7, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to protect beaches from coastal erosion by developing a resilience plan that incorporates the reuse of sediment and living shorelines.
The coastal resiliency plan proposal would protect beaches from coastal erosion through the beneficial reuse of sediment and by deploying living shorelines.
Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath made the motion with a second by District Supervisor Holly Mitchell during the Board of Supervisors meeting last week.
“Two of the county’s most iconic beaches, Zuma and Redondo Beach, have narrowed year on year as winter storms wash away our golden sand and last winter, storms washed out Westward Beach road at the iconic Point Dume,” Horvath said. “The scientific consensus is that sea level rise will accelerate in the coming decade and we need to plan working with nature to confront this reality.”
Horvath said the county has spent more than a year with technical experts in creating a coastal resiliency strategy, which is providing a road map.
“The strategy will largely rely on Mother Nature to provide solutions to prevent coastal erosion, particularly through the creation of living shorelines,” Horvath said. “Living shorelines involve building sand dunes with native plants, who’s roots provide an anchor, keeping sediment on the sand, while at the same time providing habitat on the beach for wildlife.”
The strategy plan requires mutually beneficial efforts from a coalition of government, nonprofit, academic, and community partners, including coastal cities, tribes, nonprofits, academic institutions, and potential technical and regulatory experts that can participate in regular convenings to guarantee these essential county resources can adapt to a changing climate.
“The beaches we know and love came to exist due to deliberate planning, conservation and investment which began nearly 100 years ago,” Horvath said. “We owe it all to Angelenos and the wildlife we share the coast line with to ensure that our beaches remain resilient and accessible in the next century.”
Residents, activists and water quality scientists submitted public comments in favor of the motion. Malibu resident Madelyn Glickfeld submitted a letter and emphasized the importance of protecting the beaches from more coastal erosion and having the support of the county agencies.
“Los Angeles County beaches are emblematic of the California lifestyle and are the reason why many people live here and why so many tourists come here,” Glickfeld said. “The world knows Los Angeles County beaches through thousands of films, programs and of course surfers and surf music. Our coastline is a big part of what attracts new residents, businesses and tourists here. The beaches have helped to develop the tourist industry and the jobs it brings. Thus, the beaches are essential to our tourist economy and part of Hollywood’s stature as the center of the film industry. We must restore and protect these beaches for all of these reasons and this: as the climate heats, the coast will be an essential respite from inland heat for millions.”
Glickfeld also calls for the support of the Department of Beaches and Harbors, the Department of Public Works, and the LA County Flood Control District.
“The motion also calls for involvement of the best academic and technical experts to invent the best strategies to make it possible to move millions of tons of sand down the watershed again,” she said. “However, this motion should also specify involve citizens and other essential stakeholders from up and down our watersheds as the agencies and experts move forward solutions. This effort cannot succeed unless the communities are involved from the onset, and can understand and support this effort.”
Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, and a group of members dedicated to making the coastal waters and watershed safer, submitted a letter in favor of the motion.
“Beaches are where families gather, where people go to relax and have fun, and where anglers obtain food for their families,” the letter says. “Beaches also provide habitat for coastal species. Some offer sandy shorelines, while others offer rocky intertidal zones. We need all of these natural habitat types for our coastal ecosystem to thrive. The combination of sea level rise stripping sand away, human activity obstructing natural sediment deposition, and coastal development hindering natural beach movement puts Southern California beaches at risk of shrinking and even disappearing.”
The letter also emphasized the importance of not responding to sea level rise.
“Depending on our response to sea level rise and our approach to coastal development, Southern California is predicted to lose between 31 percent and 67 percent of its beaches,” the letter says. “The motion by Supervisor Horvath prioritizes a nature-based approach to resiliency within the coastal watersheds of Los Angeles County by focusing on living shorelines, and on the beneficial reuse of sediment from various dredging activities across Los Angeles County, including consideration of natural sediment transport that could benefit aquatic habitat along the coastline and throughout the watershed.”
Redondo Beach City Councilmember and LA County lifeguard Nils Nehrenheim also spoke during the meeting, saying the loss of sand has become noticeable since COVID-19.
“This is a dramatic need that we need here in Redondo Beach amongst many other places here in the LA County coastline,” Nehrenheim said.
According to the report, in 2022, the district developed a Sediment Management Strategic Plan (SMSP), estimated that over the next 10 years, the district will need to remove approximately 15 million cubic yards of sediment from its various facilities at a cost of $570 million.
Currently, dredged sediment is sent to sediment placement sites in the Angeles National Forest (which are expected to reach capacity within 20 years) or sent to regional landfills.
An updated SMSP is being developed, and it would include the potential beneficial use of sediment removed from district facilities for beach replenishment and include updated cost estimates, environmental impacts, sediment testing protocols, community outreach, logistics, transportation, and permitting requirements.
The district is also considering other alternatives for sediment that may not be suitable for beaches, such as use for sandbags to assist during storms and floods.
The potential beneficial reuse of sediment from the district can nourish local beaches with sand, maintain and restore our coastlines, and provide the expanded area necessary to implement the hybrid living shoreline strategies that will enhance coastal resilience, native habitat, and biodiversity.
The director of beaches and harbors, the chief sustainability officer and the director of public works, will provide a report back in writing within 90 days with an outreach and fundraising strategy for the implementation of the Coastal Resiliency Strategy.