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, February 22, 2016

Heavy Surf Wreaks Havoc at the Sloat Erosion Site

This is what is left of the 2012 sand replenishment project. It's time for the City to move more aggressively towards building the long term plan. 
(Photo: B. McLaughlin)
Greetings Surfriders and Friends,

Thanks to all who submitted comments to the Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan for the San Francisco Littoral Cell.  By weighing in early with this effort, hopefully we can dissuade our local governments from relying on massive beach replenishment projects to solve their erosion challenges.  Long term planning based on managed retreat is truly the only sensible option for our heavily eroding coastline.

In other news, erosion has hit the south Sloat area hard this winter.  This was all expected.  However, it should be noted that the recent sand replenishment projects of 2012 and 2014 have both virtually washed away.  Currently, SFPUC is conducting another sand-backpass to the erosion site to patch bluff top erosion as well as to shore up the 2014 area where the parking lot edge has recently collapsed.  This work should restore safe access for the south parking lot.

While it is good that the City is using sand, not rock to patch the area, the current state of Sloat just underscores the need to expedite the long term planning process.  As a reminder, a project blueprint is due to come before the Coastal Commission sometime in 2017.

Thanks for staying engaged!