Erosion of Surfers Beach west of El Granada, California, and sedimentation at the adjacent Pillar Point Harbor are both serious problems confronting the Coastside community. Representatives from many interested agencies, as well as members of the public, recently had an opportunity to share an understanding of the history of the area and consider possible approaches towards a solution to these problems.

You can watch the entire 3-hour meeting, including a very informative slide presentation, on MontaraFog at http://www.montarafog.com/Public-Policy/a-solution-for-surfers-beach-in-sight.html

Here’s a brief historical summary:

For millenia before human intervention, ocean waves interacted with relatively soft marine terrace deposits focused by rock outcroppings at Pillar Point and Miramontes Point, forming Half Moon Bay. The wave energy eroded the shoreline and ocean currents moved sediments to form a nearly-perfect log-spiral bay. The shoreline was in stable equilibrium, with typical erosion rates averaging a few inches per year.

In 1959 to 1961, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the outer breakwater that protects Pillar Point Harbor. The natural ocean dynamics were upset. Wave energy—especially during storms—was refocused just south of the breakwater, on the area known locally as Mirada Surf. According to studies by Ken Lajoie of the U.S. Geological Survey, blufftop erosion rates increased dramatically, at some points reaching five feet per year. One consequence of the manmade wave patterns is the near-total loss of the bluffs at Surfers Beach (and significant loss of sand from the beach itself), as well as continuing loss of the San Mateo County park on Mirada Surf itself.

Meanwhile, littoral transport of sediments out of the part of the ocean that is now Pillar Point Harbor was blocked by the breakwater. The result is gradual filling of portions of the harbor, especially around the boat launch area. At low tide the amount of accumulated sediment is particularly dramatic.

What To Do?

The obvious solution, it would seem, is just to move the unwanted sand inside the harbor to the other side of the breakwater, where it is needed to replenish Surfers Beach and reduce erosion of the Mirada Surf area. But such a simple solution faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Of course, just as a starter, no government agency has any money these days to fix problems. But even if money were no object, no one wants to try a quick fix that only results in other environmental problems later.

Experts from the Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup presented some ideas. Surfers Beach is within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, as well as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and legislation prohibits disposal of spoils—i.e., the material that would be dredged from within the harbor—except at designated disposal sites. And Surfers Beach isn’t so designated. As one of the surfers noted, it would literally take an Act of Congress to allow an easy solution.

The group discussed possible approaches that might find support among all of the stakeholders, but as this was just an initial meeting to discuss the situation, nothing was decided.

The San Mateo County Harbor District convened this initial meeting of the Surfers Beach Shoreline Improvement Working Group for Pillar Point Harbor on Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at the Oceano Hotel, chaired by Peter Grenell, Harbor District General Manager. Attendees included representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, California Coastal Commission, Surfrider Foundation, Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup, United States Geological Survey, San Mateo County, and the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District. Brian Overfelt, Bob Battalio, and others spoke on behalf of the Coastside community.

Unfortunately, CalTrans and the City of Half Moon Bay were not represented. Erosion of Surfers Beach threatens the portion of the California Coastal Trail falling within Half Moon Bay city limits, and severe erosion threatens Highway 1. Portions of Mirada Road—the old Coast Highway decades ago—have completely fallen into the Pacific Ocean as a result of significant coastal retreat since the construction of the breakwater.

The Harbor District has not announced the date or location of a follow-up meeting.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Charlie Hall’s vote count.

In the final tally for the see-saw Granada Sanitary District vote count, incumbent Leonard Woren won the third seat by a margin of ten votes, or 0.3% of the total.

Write-in candidate Charlie Hall received 153 vote by mail votes, 1 in early voting, 126 on election day, for a total of 280 (8.42%).

Learn more about Sharp Park lagoon ecology, the beautiful and almost extinct San Francisco Garter Snake and its primary prey species, the endangered California Red-Legged frog.  Discuss the future of Sharp Park.
WHEN: Sunday, November 15, 3pm
WHERE: MEET AT THE MORI POINT MOOSE LODGE GATE
776 Bradford Way , just off Highway 1, PACIFICA
TRIP LEADS: Peter Baye, Ecologist
Brent Plater, Executive Director of Wild Equity Institute
and friends!

Following Monday’s count of provisional, mail-in and paper ballots, Leonard Woren has pulled ahead of Lisa McCaffrey for the third seat on the Granada Sanitary District board of Directors. Woren now leads by six votes, or 0.2%.

The vote count will not be final until next week.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is holding a public hearing Nov. 12 regarding the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve’s master plan.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
7:00 p.m.
MROSD Administrative Office
330 Distel Circle
Los Altos, CA. 94022 (map)
 

At the hearing, Open Space District staff will present the master plan focusing on the two public use options developed for the preserve. The public will again have an opportunity to comment on the plan, as they have at two previous public hearings held in May and June. The Open Space District’s board of directors is expected to vote for a preferred public use option and tentatively approve the master plan. Once the board takes these actions, an environmental review will be conducted and released for public comment in early 2010.  Final adoption of the master plan will occur during a public meeting at a later date.

The draft Environmental Impact Report for the Big Wave wellness center and office park complex, which is currently being circulated in a formal comment period, lacks a crucial section.  Section IV-N, which deals with utilities (Sewer, Water, Solid Waste, and Energy) is missing from the printed report distributed to county and other government agencies, as well as the public.

The individual section can be downloaded from the county’s website, but it has not been distributed to anyone who is responsible for reviewing the EIR. Nor does the full, downloadable PDF include this crucial section.

The county only required the applicant to print 30 copies of the report, only one of which is available to the public in the Half Moon Bay Library. This was a source of significant concern to attendees at Wednesday’s Midcoast Community Council meeting. Citizens wanting a physical copy have to pay the county about $50 to cover printing costs.

Thanks to Montara Fog for checking the online copy.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory beginning 10pm Friday through 10am Saturday. Large northwest swells are being generated by a low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska.  Swells are expected to range from 17 to 19 feet with 20 foot breaking waves in surf zone and dangerous rip currents as well.

Coastside Land Trust invites you to join us on Saturday, November 7 from 2–4pm, for a management day at our Wavecrest area properties. Roll up your sleeves, grab your clippers, gloves and boots, and come out for some fun together on the blufftop.  We’ll say goodbye to Pampas Grass seed heads, radish and garbage as we steward our lands together before the winter rains set in.

Meet in the parking lot at Smith Field at 2 pm, at the end of Wavecrest Rd, off Highway 1 at Cameron’s Pub.
Jo Chamberlain
Executive Director
office:  650.284.5056
Mobile:  650.346.3775
[email protected]
http://www.coastsidelandtrust.org

UPDATE: Judy Taylor says that she has sent an correction to the original recipients of her email, saying in part "I was able to talk with the sewer plant management this morning and confirm that there is no connection and that the closures were a result of other causes." See this comments on this story for her full statement and a link to Jim Larimer’s original misleading article.

In the waning days of the 2009 election season, the challengers for the GSD board and their supporters have apparently decided that facts are not enough.

Placards have been added to at least four of the GSD challengers’ billboards declaring "Endorsed! HMB Review". That’s not even a half-truth. Write-in challenger Charlie Hall has been endorsed by the Review, but so have incumbents Gael Erickson and Ric Lohman. They’re on the other sign. The one without the endorsement claim.

The Review singled out challengers Bill Griffis and Lisa McCaffrey as potential puppets of development interests.

As if on cue to confirm the Review’s fears of pro-growth puppetry, Half Moon Bay Realtor Judy Taylor has been circulating a photo of a sign that the county has posted on unsafe beaches, claiming that GSD is responsible for the mess:

The above photo, taken 2 weeks ago, is the reason why the Granada Sanitary Election (Frenchman’s Creek to Clipper Ridge), this coming Tuesday, November 3rd, is so critical.  The incumbents have had 12 years to fix this problem and have not.  Our sewers are still polluting our beaches.  We need GSD Board Members who will address our most pressing needs.

Taylor suggests that GSD’s sewers are responsible for the current bacteria problem on local beaches. This is simply false. The county health department has trying for years to find the source, but it has turned out to be elusive.

Meanwhile, the GSD has a solution to the serious, unrelated problem of wet weather overflows. GSD’s solution is not only elegant, it preserves crucial El Granada green space. Pro-development forces have been trying to delay the project, putting the health and finances of the community at risk for political gain.

If you’re undecided about whom to vote for in Tuesday’s Granada Sanitary District election, this should be a clarifying moment.