[an error occurred while processing this directive] Ventana Chapter - County plans to armor Pleasure Point
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Old Baldy, Canada | photo by Cameron Schaus

Sierra Club
County plans to armor Pleasure Point


A proposed seawall at the popular surfing spot off Pleasure Point would stretch from 33rd Avenue to 36th Avenue with a companion wall near the end of 41st Avenue at “The Hook.” The seawalls would be constructed with public funds from The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the California Department of Boating and Waterways; with roadway, bicycle/pedestrian, restroom, stairways, and parking projects above the wall paid for by the County of Santa Cruz.

The Preferred Alternative noted in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) is “Full Bluff Armoring.” The Sierra Club along with Surfrider, Surfers’ Environmental Alliance and Save Our Shores oppose this approach.

The Club’s concerns include the fact that areas south of the Harbor have been suffering from lack of normal sand since the construction of the west jetty of the Harbor. Since the construction of the west jetty, numerous properties have applied for permits to armor their own section of coast which are suffering from the effects of the west jetty construction. Most of the pocket beaches between the Harbor and the mouth of the San Lorenzo have been lost under piles of boulders.

The Club asked for development of an alternative for a “sand bypass” around the harbor jetty that would return at least half of the sand to the natural system. Others have asked for development of a “planned retreat” alternative. Additional comments pointed out that much of the erosion in the Pleasure Point bluffs are due to drainage and maintance practices of the County.

The final EIR is expected to be available this summer for public comment.

Pajaro River mouth development should be relocated

Another proposed local seawall is a 715-foot metal wall to protect the gated community at the mouth of the Pajaro River. The Club is on record opposing this project and suggesting the environmentally superior alternative of moving the condos off the public tidelands and away from the mouth of the river. These units were constructed right on the sand in the late 1960s just before the Coastal Act was enacted in 1972.

The proposed wall would be built on public property on Zmudowski State Beach, one of the premiere snowy plover habitats left along the coast.. This project too is likely to be on the Coastal Commission’s August agenda.

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