The San Francisco Littoral Cell Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan
Douglas George1, Robert Battalio1, Elena Vandebroek1, Louis White1, To Dang1
1 – ESA PWA, 550 Kearny St. Suite 900, San Francisco, CA.
Corresponding author: Doug George, (415) 262-2325, dgeorge@esassoc.com
Special Session: San Francisco Regional Sediment Management (Convener: Barnard)
The San Francisco Littoral Cell Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan (CRSMP)
covers 17 miles of Pacific coast shoreline from Fort Point, San Francisco, to Point San Pedro,
Pacifica. The goals of the CRSMP are to preserve and maintain beaches as well as sustain
recreation, enhance public safety and access, and restore beach habitats. An essential piece of the
CRSMP is identifying cost-effective opportunities for beach nourishment and performing a costbenefit analysis of the alternative solutions.
The terrestrial study area is a mix of heavily urbanized and natural areas with varied
geology. The San Andreas Fault bisects the study area at the Pacifica – Daly City border,
resulting in an uplifted terrain that experiences extensive erosion by waves and unstable bluffs
and cliffs. Offshore, the marine geology is dominated by sand deposits, including the San
Francisco Bay ebb-tide delta, although rocky outcrops and reefs occur throughout the surf zone.
The coast has been manipulated since the late 1800s with coastal development extending onto the
bluff tops and beaches. The confluence of eroding bluffs and development have resulted in
chronic erosion hazards and extensive damages in severe winters, including most recently those
of 1983-84, 1997-99 and 2008-09.
A multi-disciplinary approach was used to satisfy the goals of the CRSMP. This included
assessment of geological and geomorphic processes, habitats and species of concern (terrestrial
and marine), infrastructure at risk, economic costs/benefits, public access, and policies that may
influence sediment management. Alongshore sediment transport budgets were calculated based
on nearshore dynamics and sediment inputs from coastal watersheds. In addition, the CRSMP
considered the impacts of projected sea level rise over the planning horizon of 50 years.
Extensive geospatial data were compiled, including preliminary data from the California Coastal
Mapping Program (seafloor and shoreline), coastal armor, city infrastructure, historical and
current habitat regions, and landslide susceptibility. The database forms the foundation for future
coastal and marine spatial planning in the region.
This presentation will document the coastal hazards and damage potential, present the
available geospatial data and remaining data gaps, and identify stakeholder-supported solutions.
The presentation will also show how economic and policy concerns were incorporated into the
management plan. With the CRSMP scheduled for completion by Spring 2013, future steps and
challenges will be outlined, including the organizational structure developed with project
partners.
Speaker Bio: Doug is a geological oceanographer with more than a decade of research on coastal and
marine geology questions. His work has ranged from field-based observational studies offshore global river
systems to numerical modeling of estuarine restoration in Puget Sound. Prior to ESA PWA, Doug worked
for the California Ocean Protection Council and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program. He
received a BS from Humboldt State University, an MS in Journalism from Columbia University and an MS
in Oceanography from Dalhousie University. He was a Research Fellow at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, and a Policy Fellow at the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academy of Science.