Sloat Restoration through Managed Retreat

Sloat Restoration through Managed Retreat
This is our original vision for Sloat Restoration - graphic courtesy of PSA and Associates and the Ocean Beach Task Force

Our Vision of Beach Restoration and Preservation

The shorelines of Ocean Beach south of Sloat Blvd and Sharp Park in Pacifica are threatened by rip-rap seawallls and long-term erosion. This blog chronicles our campaign efforts to restore these beaches. Check out the web view of this site to see our proposed solutions and how to help- in the right hand column below. For all the latest about our efforts, see our monthly posts.

We advocate a managed retreat strategy to restore both Ocean Beach south of Sloat and Sharp Park.

At Sloat, our vision involves:

A long-term plan to relocate threatened infrastructure
(including the south of Sloat Great Highway, the two oceanside parking lots and the sewer lines underneath them).

The cleanup of all the rock and rubble littering the beach.

The use of sand dunes as the primary tool to slow erosion.

For Sharp Park, we advocate the decommissioning of the golf course, the removal of the rip-rap berm, and a full restoration of the wetland.

Monday, December 21, 2009

OB Jurisdiction

Who owns Ocean Beach?

The City of San Francisco gave Ocean Beach to the National Park Service in 1972 to be part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). GGNRA owns the property from the Great Highway to the mean high tide line. The State Lands Commission (the public!) owns the submerged lands below the mean high tide line. The City of San Francisco owns the Great Highway and the O'Shaughnessy seawall.

Who manages OB?


San Francisco's Department of Public Works (DPW) manages all of the OB infrastructure, and provides refuse collection, street maintenance and assures public access to OB. San Francisco's Department of Recreation and Parks maintains the bike/walking pathway that is east of Great Highway. San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) operates and maintains the City's water treatment plants (Water treatment plant at Sloat Ave., the sewer boxes located under the Great Highway, and the Southwest Ocean Outfall pipe that extends offshore at Sloat Ave.)

The California Coastal Commission is the state regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over most activities, like maintaining the seawalls/riprap, moving sand, any development, any restoration projects, etc. at OB. The California Coastal Act is a California law that was passed in 1976 and includes specific policies that limit development activities along the coastline. All activities at OB require authorization (permits) by the California Coastal Commission.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) has jurisdiction over activities at Baker Beach and within San Francisco Bay. Similar to the Coastal Commission, all activties at Baker Beach and within the San Francisco Bay require authorization (permits) by BCDC.

The Army Corps of Engineers works with the San Francisco Public Works Department to help manage the coastal erosion at Ocean Beach. The Army Corps moves sand around at Ocean Beach and places sand that is dredged from the main ship channel back in the coastal system.

Who studies OB?

United States Geological Survey (USGS)
is the leading scientific entity and is looking at the sediment dynamics and beach dynamics to understand how the sand moves through the coastal system. There are several on-going studies at OB to observe and monitor how the sand moves out of the San Francisco Bay and along the OB shoreline.

Who cleans/loves/uses OB?

The San Francisco Surfrider Foundation Chapter has over 1200 members who care about keeping OB clean and open to the public.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

the coastal erosion problem at Sloat?



















Ocean Beach (OB) south of Sloat Avenue in San Francisco is experiencing significant coastal erosion to the coastal bluffs. The parking lot is crumbling into the Pacific before our eyes and over the years the shoreline has been armored leaving the shoreline in a state of disarray. There are efforts underway to control the erosion and there are several agencies involved (Coastal Commission, SF Public Works, Army Corps of Engineers, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, United States Geological Survey, ...). The coming blogs will describe the complicated jurisdiction, current research and ongoing activities to control erosion at OB.


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