The Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council will discuss hillside erosion, among other items, at their upcoming meeting Monday, April 3, at 6:45 p.m.
The council has recently taken steps to study and eventually correct water drainage that is eroding the cliffs at an unnaturally fast rate. The Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Master Plan, approved by the California Coastal Commission last year, calls for such efforts to protect and restore the park’s natural beauty.
“The drainage erosion study is the first phase [of the master plan implementation],” said Barbara Keiller, council chair. “[The visible and subterranean erosion] was probably the number one concern coming from the public.”
Steve Jepsen, Dudek and Associates’ senior project manager overseeing the study, said that roads and concrete concentrate rain flow by preventing the water from penetrating the ground like it normally would.
“When the drainage leaves those hard paved facilities, it enters into the natural hillside and cliffs at a higher velocity than normal and now it has a lot of erosive power,” Jepsen said. “Once you have concentrated flows of water, you can’t just discharge it onto unimproved soil or you are going to get erosion.”
In layman’s terms, fast moving water cuts into the sand and dirt, causing it to wash away. As the cliffs inch backward, the public loses part of its beloved destination for sunset watching. Additionally, roads and beach access stairs become hazardous as the foundation beneath them crumbles.
Currently, Jepsen and his colleagues are gathering data and conducting analysis to determine the quantity of water flowing through the drain facilities. They are also preparing to dig test wells to measure ground water elevation in the area.
Experienced in erosion studies such as this, Jepsen foresees many solutions, although they all will be publicly vetted and approved. If the drainage pipes are deemed undersized for the volume of water they contain, the simple fix will be to address the infrastructure and install larger pipes. Other mitigation efforts might include water conservation, responsible irrigation and energy dissipaters to reduce the water’s erosive force
The study will also address water quality. Soil and sediment can be just as damaging to the park as pollutants, Jepsen said.
Both the council and Dudek and Associates are attempting to involve the public in each step of the process. More than 60 people attended a public workshop at the beginning of the study in late February. There will be more workshops as the project progresses.
“I think it’s nice in the new, more conscious times that we get public input on these projects,” Jepsen said. “The [residents] can give us a lot of great information of what kind of drainage problems are occurring, what happens when it is raining and what things used to look like.”
Keiller also encourages community participation. The council’s regularly scheduled meetings are held at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center, 4726 Santa Monica Ave., on the first Monday of each month. The erosion committee chair will likely make a presentation at the April 3rd meeting, and there is always time allotted for public comment. Further public workshops discussing solutions to the drainage and erosion will be held when the study is completed this summer.
The park’s updated master plan is available for viewing at the Ocean Beach and Point Loma Libraries. To request or provide information about the cliffs, contact Keiller directly by calling (619) 223-2784 or emailing [email protected].