Planning for Sea Level Rise in an
Urban Coastal Environment –
The Challenges, and Options
Cesar Espinosa
County of Los Angeles
Department of Beaches and Harbors
May 28, 2014

Presentation Outline
• Department of Beaches and Harbors (DBH) Overview
• DBH’s Seasonal Sand Berm Protection Program
• Climate Ready Grant – Proposed Beach Berm Study

County of LA Owned, Maintained and/or
Controlled Beaches

LA County Beach Operations
• Over 50 million annual visitors to County of LA Beaches
• 20 beaches owned, maintained, and/or controlled by County of LA in approximately 30 non-contiguous miles of coastline. These beaches include :
– 6 maintenance yards
– 11 concession buildings
– 50 beach restrooms
– Over 30 beach parking lots (with over 8,000 parking spaces)
• DBH protects habitat areas for threatened species (e.g., Snowy Plover, Least Tern), and grunion spawning along the coast
• DBH builds 11 sand berms every winter to protect coastal facilities from storm surge

DBH’s Annual Winter
Beach Berm Program
• Protect public beach facilities from winter coastal storms surge and wave activity
• Typically measure 15 feet high x 20 feet wide and range in length from 100 feet to 2,000 feet
• Created from sand found in the immediate area
• Built between beach facilities and the shoreline, in the upper intertidal area to the upper dry beach
– 5 are located in 4 th Supervisorial District: Hermosa Beach, and Dockweiler State Beach
– 10 are located in 3 rd Supervisorial District: Zuma Beach, and Venice Beach
•
Built in mid-November and removed in mid- to late March
– Depending upon extent of beach erosion, may extend length and duration of berms as well as perform periodic reconstructive maintenance
– Before and during construction and deconstruction, biological monitoring is conducted to ensure that no sensitive habitat will be affected (e.g., Western Snowy Plover and Grunion)

Past Storm Damage to
County Beaches During Winter Storms
Venice Beach
Restroom and Lifeguard Headquarters
Dockweiler State Beach
Lifeguard Tower Snowy Plover Sanctuary Area

Zuma County Beach
March 1, 2014 Storm

Berm Locations: Southern Beaches
Hermosa Beach – One Berm
Protects Lifeguard Headquarters
Dockweiler State Beach – Two Berms
Protect restrooms and Dockweiler RV parking lot

Venice Beach Berm Locations
Two berms protect restrooms and parking lots

Zuma Beach Berm Locations
Six berms protect restrooms, maintenance yard, concession building, and lifeguard headquarters

New Zuma Berm Locations
Original six locations
Original Six locations
+
Four new locations to protect new septic systems

Typical Berm Construction Process
Construction
Deconstruction

California Coastal Conservancy
Climate Ready Grant Program
DBH’s Proposed Project: Seasonal Sand Berm Protection Program (Short Term)
– Develop representative beach profile, stillwater level, and wave characteristics for the wave uprush analysis, and use existing science and data from U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers’ Coast of California Storm and Tidal Waves Study (CCSTWS) to determine impacts of 50- and 100-year storm events to County of Los Angeles public beaches
– Determine optimum locations, height, length, and width of berms needed to protect coastal assets from tidal flooding and storm surges
– Coordinate and collaborate with scientific groups (e.g., ESA-PWA, TCG, USGS, USC Sea
Grant) working on wave-driven and SLR modeling to ensure their data and information is used to optimize the Sand Berm Protection Program
DBH to look at offshore and inland sand sources for beach nourishment (Long Term)
– Work with the Corps in finalizing the LA County Coastal Regional Sediment Management
Plan
– Develop an Inventory of Coastal Sediment Needs and Potential Beach Nourishment
Candidate Sites
– Continue Collaboration with scientific groups on the current trends regarding climate change and SLR

THANK YOU!