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.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

LMT To Be Protected by Taraval Style Seawall


By rejecting managed retreat for the LMT, SFPUC is opting for a riskier path,
one fraught with high maintenance, to address Sloat erosion.

Greetings Surfriders,

We had a very informative chapter meeting last month. Thanks to all who attended. Ben Grant provided a nice summary of the Ocean Beach Master Plan while Bob Battalio brought us up to speed on the alternatives analysis study for the Lake Merced Tunnel (LMT).

It looks like SFPUC is going to go thru with building the Ocean Beach Master Plan’s buried seawall for the Tunnel. Engineer Bob Battalio explained that the models support the ability to protect the LMT with the low profile seawall thru 2100. However, the amount of sand dune replenishment needed to maintain the beach looks to be significantly high, especially after 2050. The Alternatives Analysis report is not finalized for publication yet, but when it is we will post a copy so you can check over the details.

While we are glad to see the City moving on a plan to clean up and restore the beach, we still contend that it is worth the investment to remove the LMT from the erosion hazard area now, and not sometime after 2050 when the cost will be much greater.

As surfers we know all too well the character of the nearshore environment at Ocean Beach. If anything, it is wildly unpredictable, subject to extreme energy, and thoroughly unforgiving. Leaving the LMT so close to the surf zone is a risky choice.  We can only hope the design works as well as the models say it will and preserves the beach.

Thanks for checking in!