San Clemente, known for its iconic beaches and waves, is currently facing a critical challenge: the combination of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) emergency shoreline armoring and ongoing erosion. Since 2021, OCTA has placed up to 26,000 tons of riprap on the beach. These boulders now stretch from the Northern end of Trestles to about 700 feet to the Northern end of the Cypress Shores HOA — effectively eliminating the beach there at most tides and making it impossible to walk from Trestles towards the pier.
The emergency armoring offers short-term protection for the railway, but it has unintended consequences for the public beaches and nearby waves. The railway and the protective boulders in front of it disrupt the natural flow of sand, leading to sediment loss and the disappearance of the beach. Because the rail is so close to the water, the effect on beach erosion is dramatic, and its location threatens the long-term viability of San Clemente's beloved beaches.
Armoring the rail in place leads to a cycle of erosion and armoring, which is not sustainable in the long run and may eventually drown the beaches and waves entirely. Surfrider is calling for a more sustainable and forward-thinking solution.
OCTA has applied for a coastal development permit with the California Coastal Commission to retain the emergency armoring indefinitely. This is an opportunity for the local community and stakeholders to weigh in on a sustainable long-term relocation solution and short-term mitigation to offset the impacts like creation of a living shoreline and improved public access. The Commission has not yet set a date for the hearing but we expect it will be sometime in 2023. Concurrently, OCTA has their own long-range planning underway for the future of the tracks.
Future Rail Relocation
Over the long-term, the only realistic solution to save the beach is to move the South Orange County railway (from Dana Point to Camp Pendleton) inland. This is because as seas rise, coastal erosion will worsen and the problem will become more difficult to solve as time goes on.
Eventually, no reasonable amount of armoring will be able to protect the tracks. By planning to relocate them in the next several decades, OCTA can preserve San Clemente's beaches for future generations and avoid transportation shutdowns. We need to work together as a community with policymakers, and relevant stakeholders for this important cause.
Benefits of Relocation
Relocating the rail inland offers a host of benefits for San Clemente and its beaches:
- Decrease Erosion: Moving the rail away from the shoreline will allow natural coastal processes to regain their balance, reducing erosion rates and preserving the integrity of the beaches - for beachgoers and for the marine and terrestrial species that rely on them.
- Restore Beaches and Waves: By providing more space for sand accumulation, relocating the rail will bolster the resilience of San Clemente's coastline against future storms and rising sea levels. This means more space for beach recreation and less disruption to nearby waves. Relocation coupled with nature based solutions such as a living shoreline with sand dunes may help preserve our beaches for generations to come.
- Improved Safety and Transportation: Relocation presents an opportunity to enhance rail safety measures, optimize transportation infrastructure, and potentially improve the efficiency of rail operations and avoid frequent long-term rail closures.
OCTA has done rough estimates of the possibility of relocating the railway inland in the past and recently committed to doing a more thorough feasibility study in the wake of local landslides and worsening erosion. We call on the OCTA to include a public comment and stakeholder process in creating the feasibility study and long term plan for this portion of the rail corridor that involves relocation and using nature based solutions, such shoreline and dune restoration where feasible.
San Diego Offers an Early Model for Rail Relocation
For those who say that rail relocation is too hard or too expensive: San Diego is doing it on the same rail line. The San Diego section of the LOSSAN corridor is managed by a different regional transportation authority that committed in 2019 to relocate about a mile long section of rail in Del Mar by 2035 that is similarly prone to frequent closures caused by bluff collapse (and related coastal erosion.) San Diego is “making the impossible, possible” by making clear commitments to study, pursue funding for and outline pathways that achieve various inland realignment alternatives.
We recognize that even in San Diego, relocation won't happen overnight. Even in the Del Mar section, long-term realignment off the coast is coming with short term compromises to protect the rail line that will harm the beach. Ultimately however, realignment is the only way to save the beach over the next few decades as sea level rise encroaches, and Surfrider is supporting work towards this goal in San Diego.
The Limitations of Sand Replenishment as a Strategy to Save San Clemente Beaches
San Clemente is moving forward with a sand replenishment project for the heavily used pier and T-Street portions of the City’s beaches that is slated to begin within the year. This approach will provide an immediate solution to narrowing beaches that are plaguing the City. This sand is not intended to be placed at the southern portion of the beach where OCTA has recently placed shoreline armoring to protect the tracks.
Traditional sand replenishment has been a commonly employed approach to combat coastal erosion. However, it comes with limitations. Sand replenishment is short-term as the ocean can easily whisk sand back into the ocean, plus it is also expensive, requires frequent maintenance, and can have detrimental effects on waves and the environment.
In 2012, for example, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) placed 1.5 million cubic yards of sand on beaches in Imperial Beach, Oceanside, Encinitas, Cardiff and Carlsbad. The $26 million of sand wreaked havoc on surf breaks in certain locations and washed away after a storm or two in others.
Historically, replenishment projects in San Clemente have built up the beaches in the short term, but much of that sand is lost within a few months as a result of wave action and big storms. This is not surprising as recent research has highlighted the ineffectiveness of major nourishment projects — a 2018 study of projects in San Diego County conducted by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography showed how some projects were largely washed away within just one season. Additionally, larger regional beach nourishment projects like the Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project in San Diego have taken almost two decades to materialize since their original concept was introduced.
Large-scale beach nourishment projects are not only expensive and at times ineffective, they also have the potential to harm our City’s important wave resources by burying reefs. San Clemente is home to some of the most pristine surf waves on the West Coast of North America. Wave preservation must be a top priority for any short and long term solutions.
San Clemente’s Coastal Resiliency Plan identifies a beach replenishment project for the San Clemente Pier and T-Street area to cost more than $96 million over a span of 50 years. Replenishment for South San Clemente beach would be an additional cost. We should be cautious about hinging the future of our beaches on sand nourishment alone and Surfrider encourages the city to evaluate, and fund, long term solutions such as relocation and using living shorelines where feasible.
Careful monitoring is important as San Clemente moves forward with sand replenishment this year to assess impacts to wave quality and sand retention and help inform future decision making.
Read more about the benefits and costs of beach fill on Beachapedia.
Benefits of Living Shorelines
For the future, an alternative solution to replenishment worth considering is the implementation of a living shoreline. This may incorporate sand nourishment but builds in other natural features to help naturally retain the sand through the construction of vegetated dunes and cobble berms. A living shoreline utilizes natural materials such as sand, plants, and rocks to create a protective barrier against erosion. It promotes the restoration of coastal habitats and helps maintain ecological balance. By integrating natural elements into artificial sand replenishment, living shorelines offer a more sustainable approach to coastal protection.
We have an opportunity to work towards a resilient and ecologically valuable shoreline that benefits both the community and the environment. Why stop short at mere sand nourishment? The OCTA railway is having an enormous effect on the coast – we should offset those with a project that will truly be beneficial and sustainable for all. Living shorelines, especially coupled with relocating infrastructure off the coast, is the way of the future - proven at Surfer's Point in Ventura and planned for nearby Capistrano Beach.
Enhanced Public Access as Mitigation in the Short Term
In addition to a living shoreline, OCTA should enhance public access by extending the coastal trail along the landward side of the railway. This could add several miles of additional trail to the City’s immensely popular and increasingly crowded coastal trail. The railway has occupied this beach space for several decades and the recently placed coastal armoring is making the beach impassible at most tides. The public deserves to be compensated for the massive disruption to beach access.
San Clemente's beaches and waves are invaluable assets that deserve our proactive protection. By calling on the OCTA to prioritize the relocation of the rail by 2035, we can take a significant step towards safeguarding the natural beauty of San Clemente and preserving its coastline for future generations. Surfrider looks forward to working with the local community and different agencies to ensure long term planning.