Important Workshop Coming this Tuesday

Hi Surfriders and Friends,

A very key PUC workshop is happening this Tuesday at SF City Hall: http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MC_ID/15/MSC_ID/150/C_ID/4813

The PUC is taking comment on what items should be in their 5 year Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) list for wastewater. Right now, there is nothing in their plans regarding the wastewater transport tunnel at Sloat. This is the tunnel that is driving the armoring in the area. Our chapter and friends at Save the Waves believe the transport tunnel needs to be relocated at some point in the near future to ensure restoration of the beach. We're hoping to rally as many of our supporters as possible to be there to tell the PUC that there needs to be planning for this project in their 5 Year CIP. We're asking SFPUC to recognize that the transport tunnel at Sloat is in an unsustainable location - and to make plans to remove/relocate it. The workshop is happening this coming Tuesday, July 27th City Hall Room 400 from 1-3:30pm. Anyone from the general public is welcome to attend and to provide comment.

Thanks!

SF Chapter Erosion Committee

Bank Swallows Now Nesting in the South Sloat Bluffs

Greetings Surfriders and Friends,

DPW wanted us to help spread the word that the Bank Swallow (a Ca State threatened bird species) is now nesting in the South Sloat bluff area – above the new revetment - and that beach users should take care to avoid disturbing their habitat. DPW has cordoned off the area with orange construction fencing. Please access the beach further north of the new revetment

It is also important to note that the presence of the Bank Swallow is preventing DPW from working on Phase II of the emergency project - the stabilization of the bluffs and the re-opening of the southbound lanes. The Swallows should be finished nesting by sometime late this summer. Look for construction activity to commence sometime in September. Meanwhile, in other news, SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) has one a grant from the State Coastal Conservancy and is now planning the government/public stakeholder meetings on crafting a long term solution for Sloat. Dates TBA. One more note; Please continue to inform the community about what's going on at Sloat. There are still many in our community that do not know what is going on down there, the issues at stake, the history, and the solutions on the table. Going forward, it is in everyone’s interest to have informed public participation at these meetings… Thanks!

Bill McLaughlin
San Francisco Chapter Erosion Committee

Ocean Beach Vision Council Meeting of May 6th Recap

The Ocean Beach Vision Council (OBVC) had a public meeting last week at the Janet Pomery Center behind the West Side wastewater plant. The approximately 30 attendees were about half public stakeholders, about half private citizens.

The Ocean Beach Vision Council was formed by Mayor Gavin Newsom consisting of many of the members of the previous Ocean Beach Task Force. Up to this point, the 10-member council has lacked funding, but a recent $300,000 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy combined with potential grants of $100,000 from the SF PUC and $10,000 from the National Park Service should help provide some much needed funding to kick start the efforts. The goal of the Vision Council is to develop long term plans for the Ocean Beach area, whether it be analogous to Crissy Field, or something new entirely.

Lara Truppelli of the Beach Chalet (and member of Ocean Beach Task Force, and now Ocean Beach Vision Council) moderated. Astrid Haryati, the Greening Director for the City of San Francisco, as well as District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkirimi provided some opening comments and well wishes for the Vision Council.

Gabe Metcalf, Ocean Beach Vision Council member and director of SPUR, gave some of the history of the Ocean Beach Task Force and the Ocean Beach Vision Council. He spoke that the new funding should provide for some pilot projects. He noted that sea level rise is one of the factors in the future of Ocean Beach. The OBVC does not yet have the Photoshopped rendering of their ideal vision; their plans are still very much in development.

Ed Reiskin, Director of the San Francisco Department of Public works (DPW), presented on the ongoing work south of Sloat. Phase I, toe stabilization, is largely completed. Phase II consists of stabilizing upper face of the bluff. DPW is analyzing alternatives to accomplish bluff stabilization, although a decsion is to be made within the next week. The front runner is the construction of a "sand nail" wall. This would consist of a row of steel pilings (scope to be determined) driven down into the bluff so as to sit in front of the burried Wastewater Tunnel for protection. The other determination still undecided was the road configuration. Previously, there were two lanes of traffic in each direction with a wide median that could be made into an emergency lane. The plan on page 6 of Ed's PowerPoint seems to show 2 southbound lanes, though during Q&A he indicated that pending approval from SFMTA, the DPW was leaning toward restoring one lane in each direction with the addition of a bicycle path. Ed also noted the scope of Phase II may be extended beyond the current revetment: south of the revetment and at the exit of the northern lot. Funding is coming from both State and Federal sources. Few details were presented on Phases III and IV; these are outside the Emergency Permit and fall more into the long term plan.

Since it is under an Emergency Declaration, the DPW could theoretically proceed without the mitigation on Phase I or the blessing of the SF MTA on Phase III. To the DPW's credit, it appears they are trying to work with the stake holders. Amongst the most inflexible stake holders are the Bank Swallow birds, whose seasonal colony in the Fort Funston area dictates aspects of the construction schedule (they are a CA state listed threatened species). Ed mentioned that while the DPW had initially intended to remove 2,000 tons of rubble during Phase I as remdiation, but DPW stopped at half that number in part to limit the schedule to avoid conflict with the Swallows.

In our opinion, rethinking the number of lanes of traffic is a big step forward. The amount of bluff required to support four lanes of traffic is quite larger than what is required to support two lanes. Two lanes could be placed over the stiffer, consolidated, semi-lithofied soils without nearly as much structure necessary to support fill.

Look for an update soon when construction details are finalized and/or stakeholder meeting dates are announced. Also, please continue to spread the news about this evolving issue. Thanks!

Meeting Anouncement: DPW Update on Erosion/OB Vision Council

Dear Surfriders and Friends,

Hold the date: DPW will be giving the public an update on the construction project at Sloat on Thursday May 6th from 6:30-8:00pm at the Janet Pomeroy Center 207 Skyline Drive (enter at Herbst Road). All issues involving erosion are on the table, although the focus will be on the bluff stabilization phase of the project - which will include the new road configuration. Lara Truppelli of the Beach/Park Chalet will host the meeting as well as provide an update on the Ocean Beach Vision Council. Please spread the word!

Thanks.

Bill McLaughlin

Last Week's SF PUC CAC Meeting

Last week Bill and I attended a Citizenz Advisory Committee meeting for the SF PUC. The main topic on the agenda was our Sloat erosion, or from their point of view, the impact on the facilities for the Westside Treatment Plant. The main topics were presentations by Coastal Engineer Bob Battallio of PWC, Frank Filice of DPW, and a few comments on the PUC's handling of sea level rise by PUC engineer Jonathan Loiacono. I'll try to get a copy of those presentations and post the Power Points.

Bob presented first and went over some of this history of the area. One of his main points is that the area that eroded was largely unconsolidated fill placed after the construction of the Merced Tunnel, and that the natural shoreline fluctuated on multi-decade cycles. He showed some old photos of when that area was gently sloping grass-covered dunes, and contrasted them with photos of the area today, where steep bluffs are easily undermined. The contrast served to remind the audience that making even the nicest dunes in the area where the shoreline fluctuates will be washed away. He espoused relocating the waste water tunnels in the area.

Frank Filice updated the audience on the DPW's current construction and future plans. The rock revetment that is being constructed to stabalize the toe of the bluff is nearing completion. The cost is coming in at around $2.9M for about 425 ft of length. Much of those costs should be recoverable through California Emergency Management. Phase II of the project consists of stabilizing the top of the bluff, Phase III consists of reworking the Great Highway back a few dozen feet to about the current centerline of roadway. Phase IV consists of reconstructing the dune. He also spoke in detail about how the schedule is working around the Bank Swallows.

My impression is that DPW is glad to have made it through the winter storms and is now working on doing the real engineering work. Likewise, the PUC is becoming more active in the process as they realize the DPW's road may not be enough of a buffer to prevent the PUC from having to worry about erosion.

Construction Update

Photo by Les Martin

Construction of the new rock revetment is virtually complete. Bob Battalio has been in contact with DPW reviewing their plans, providing consulting and oversight of the construction project. Dpw is working through the National Park Service to get a permit to plug some of the smaller erosion hotspots with old concrete rubble already on the beach. We are also still awaiting verification that 2000 tons of the old construction rubble has been removed from the beach. Again, we are happy to see that at least some of the old construction debris is removed. However, it must be noted that we do feel that this amount is rather small - 2000 tons compared to an estimated 12,000 tons of rock contained in the new revetment. A more fair and just mitigation should involve at least a 1:1 ratio - an equal amount of rock removed for that which is added. We have asked DPW to look into doing a 1:1 removal, but they have declined, citing concerns from other stakeholders. In response, the Chapter and Save the Waves have drafted a letter to the Coastal Commission asking the agency to require a 1:1 rate. We are awaiting news on this petition.

This is where we are right now. The Save Sloat community would like to ask everyone to keep spreading the word around about the issue. It's clear that the City has built this infrastructure way too close to the ocean. Right now, we are on a path of total and complete armoring, a disaster for this stretch of beach. Please keep writing letters to key government officials. Ask for 1:1 rock removal, and a long term solution that avoids more armoring. Thanks for your support!

Bill McLaughlin
San Francisco Chapter Erosion Committee

Some Good News as the Construction Continues

Photo by Les Martin

Greetings fellow Surfriders and Friends,

First off, the Surfrider Foundation San Francisco Chapter would like to thank all who came out and attended the Sloat fundraiser last Thursday at the Park Chalet. We raised well over a $1000 at the event which will help our efforts towards minimizing the scope and impact of the rock revetment as well as the development of a long term solution that protects the beach.

There is some good news to report on the construction project. The latest DPW planning document has the rock wall at about 400ft in length. This is less than half the size of the original proposal (900ft). Also, there is now a commitment from DPW to re-use a small amount of pre-existing debris to shore up certain sections that would otherwise have seen new boulders. Lastly, it looks like we have an agreement for DPW to remove at least 2000 tons of pre-existing construction debris. This is a positive development. We would like to thank and credit DPW for taking these measures to reduce the impact of project. We look forward to working together with this agency as well as other stakeholders at coming up with a long term plan. It won't be easy, but we do believe in a future at Sloat in which no additional rock is placed and a healthy, native beach profile is restored.

Bill McLaughlin, Erosion Committee