San Diego’s identity is inextricably tied to its coastline, a widely cherished wonder that is in a constant state of change.
Depending on one’s perspective, the region’s seashore has been enhanced or diminished by human endeavors for generations, all the while being shaped by natural forces.
Those elements currently are coming together in a big way, changing — or potentially changing — the San Diego coast.
Numerous projects touch on issues involving coastal protection and access, climate change and sea-level rise, and public safety and transportation. Most have touched off familiar conflicts of varying intensity.
Some of the projects are completed or will be soon, while others are years away or still on the bubble. Taken collectively, the changes could be transformational.
In short, there’s a lot going on.
Mission Bay
More than a half-century ago, the natural wetlands were dredged out and made into a vast recreational aquatic park that has gained popularity and acclaim beyond the county line. That was an ambitious move. So is the decision to turn more of the northeastern section of the bay back into wetlands.
The San Diego City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to make that part of Mission Bay into marshland that can absorb sea-level rise and pull carbon from the air, as David Garrick of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The recreational venues would remain, though the space for them will shrink and they might be relocated in order to triple the area for marshland and dunes.
Stakeholders representing golfers, campers and environmentalists complain that their side is still getting shorted. But as government-driven compromises go, this one bordered on masterful and was a lesson in perseverance. The deal took seven years and thousands of hours of hearings and negotiations to reach.
State agencies wanting more marshland could upend the proposal, while environmental organizations are contemplating legal action.
Regardless, the plan on the table, while re-balancing the focus of that portion of Mission Bay, still keeps its essential existing character.
Scripps Coastal Reserve
UC San Diego oversees the scenic 1,000-acre reserve near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The university closed off the property to the public when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions began in March 2020.
Two years later, it was opened for brief weekly maintenance by volunteer crews and two-hour monthly guided tours. The reserve is used for research by UCSD students.
UCSD has applied to the California Coastal Commission for a permit allowing continued limits on access and the commission is seeking more detail about the closure, according to Ashley Mackin-Solomon of the La Jolla Light.
The university says the access should be restricted to protect the biologically and culturally sensitive area, and to provide for better research opportunities.
The California Coastal Act requires a permit for a change of access to a coastal site, and several local residents have accused the university of violating that law by limiting public access after statewide pandemic restrictions were lifted and failing to apply for a permit until recently, Solomon wrote.
The university’s application also seeks retroactive approval of a gate.
While every situation is different, putting up a gate or barrier to block access from public coastal areas without a permit typically is not taken lightly by the commission.
Del Mar bluffs
Seawalls are the latest phase by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to protect the train tracks on top of the crumbling bluffs.
That effort is a stopgap measure to keep San Diego’s only rail link to Los Angeles and the rest of the country intact until the tracks can be moved inland — a plan that, if approved, would take years to come to fruition.
Some Del Mar residents have expressed displeasure at some of the short- and long-term fixes and recently have directed their ire at the seawalls, according to Phil Diehl of the Union-Tribune.
The project requires carving out some bluff areas and removing sand from the beach below. One small cove favored by beachgoers has been eliminated. Some mitigation measures, such as a beach access trail, are part of the project.
The debate over the necessity of the project aside, there is one thing many can agree upon about seawalls: They’re not pretty.
Ocean Beach Pier
The move to replace the 58-year-old failing pier appears to be gaining momentum since the design of a new structure was released in early April. The popular seaside attraction has been closed since the fall because of storm damage and the potential for more.
The replacement project faces hurdles, however, with the cost of up to $190 million being a big one. Some environmentalists question whether the project should continue, given the potential negative impact of the construction and the finished structure on marine ecosystems.
Others have balked at spending that kind of money when there are more urgent priorities to protect the public well-being, such as improving the city’s inadequate flood control system. But many ers of rebuilding the pier consider it a regional asset and can’t imagine Ocean Beach without it.
Meanwhile, another waterfront icon, the Imperial Beach Pier, recently has undergone cosmetic changes and some minor structural improvements are in the works.
Oceanside, Solana Beach, Encinitas sand replenishment
Oceanside is moving to address its increasingly barren beaches by building two artificial headlands to restore and retain sand. The sweeping project was given initial approval by a unanimous City Council in February, but it has a long way to go.
Sand replenishment efforts led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were just completed down the coast in Encinitas and Solana Beach, just in time for the Memorial Day launch of the summer season. In addition to making the beaches more enjoyable, it is hoped the sand will slow the ocean’s encroachment. More sand is expected to be pumped onto beaches there every several years.
For many years, sand has been dumped on beaches and groins, and jetties and breakwaters have been constructed in efforts to protect the coastline, with mixed results. Taking on nature has its limits.
“Beaches are the essence of California and provide its most important aesthetic and recreational asset,” oceanographer Reinhard Flick of Scripps Institution of Oceanography wrote in 1993 in his paper “The Myth and Reality of Southern California Beaches.”
“Yet the widest sand beaches in Southern California have been created and are maintained by human activity.”
For the foreseeable future, it’s a cycle likely to continue.
