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.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

SPUR Updates San Francisco Surfrider on Master Plan Work for Sloat

Beach View at Sloat 2nd Lot:
It looks as though sand was dumped onto the rubble field this summer - probably from clearing the drifts in the parking lot. While modest, this kind of action is most welcome. The fisherman in the photo had a lot easier time reaching the water.

Dear Surfriders and Friends,

As promised, Ben Grant of the SPUR Ocean Beach Master Plan presented at October’s chapter meeting. After providing a comprehensive overview of the OBMP, Mr. Grant filled us in on recent developments for Sloat. These included: efforts to stabilize the new sand bank in front of the north parking lot with a straw bale system; a proposal to relocate some of the rubble away from the Sloat shorebreak, the status of the Army Corps of Engineers’ quest to nourish Ocean Beach with dredged sand from the shipping channel; and a look at the studies being developed to test the Lake Merced Tunnel protection concept (as outlined in the Master Plan).

Perhaps the biggest news is that plans are moving forward to shrink the footprint of the Great Highway from Sloat to Skyline.  An SFMTA traffic study is underway that may result in the consolidation of this portion of the Great Highway into two lanes:  one northbound and one southbound lane. According to SPUR, the goal is to be able to relocate beach parking away from the water’s edge.  New parking would be available in the portions of the old southbound lane.  There will eventually be a public meeting on this and other projects, so stay tuned to provide input.  

In general, we applaud the work of the SPUR team and our City agencies in trying to solve the Sloat challenge.  Moving the road gradually away from the water is definitely a step in the right direction. It is part of the managed retreat solution to erosion that our chapter has been advocating for since the 1990s. For the very near term, we hope to see more sustained action with sand replenishment. Ideally, rubble clean-up and re-alignment would also be included as part of the same project. As we have posted before, the north pacific storm track keeps its own schedule.  That means a major winter storm can strike right at our coast with little notice. It would be a shame to see another emergency quarry stone revetment on our beach before the Master Plan work is finished. Please keep up the pressure with us! It all helps - whether sending letters to officials, attending pubic meetings or just spreading the word throughout the community.

Thanks for staying engaged.