A sand buffer the size of 285 football fields to block waves from hitting the train tracks where they run beachfront in San Clemente has been added as part the Orange County Transportation Authority’s proposal to protect the regional rail system.
The sand, an estimated 500,000 cubic yards, would be used in addition to the placement of large boulders and catchment walls to protect the tracks from waves and an eroding shoreline on one side and landslides on the other, said officials with the OCTA, which owns the railway through Orange County.
But where that sand would come from – and whether permitting could be obtained quickly – is still unclear.
Residents, the city and other agencies have been vocal in their concerns over earlier presentations by the transportation authority that didn’t seem to promote sand replenishment among the solutions to protecting four “hot spot” areas that have been identified as future causes for concern for the rail line that has seen damage and train disruptions multiple times the last couple of years. OCTA officials have said more safeguards are needed before the next wet winter season.
The estimated $200 million in potential work that has been detailed during several “listening sessions” and OCTA meetings has called for the construction of a half-mile-long catchment wall near the most recent landslide at the Mariposa Bridge, as well as using more boulders on the beach side, including engineered revetment that would add a concrete base to a wall of rocks on the south end of town, adding rocks to San Clemente State Beach, and more rocks at the north end of the city’s shore.
Community outcry, as well as concern from city and California Coastal Commission officials, have called for OCTA to add sand, a more nature-based solution, to the proposed plans.
Two advocacy groups, Save Our Beaches – San Clemente and Bring Back Our Beaches, have formed in response to the emergency riprap installed on the beach in recent years following track damage, with BBOB launching a petition in the last week that quickly generated thousands of signatures opposing the use of more rocks.
Hard armoring, such as installing boulders and sea walls, are a controversial method of protecting infrastructure because the structure can change the wave action, scouring the sand further offshore and worsening erosion, coastal experts argue.
The railway is part of the 351-mile Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor, or LOSSAN, and is used by both passenger and freight trains. Landslides and damage from waves have already cost taxpayers $37 million since 2021 and caused five closures of the rail line, some lasting for months.
A the same time, beaches are a source of recreation for the public, as well as a revenue generator with tourism and a layer of protection for homes and infrastructure.
“We truly are at a crossroads, our coastline and the transportation corridor are too important to us. It require us to think beyond any one county operator or state agency when responding to emergencies or planning for the future,” said state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, chair of the legislature’s LOSSAN subcommittee who led the discussion for a meeting earlier in the week called “Waves and Trains – Revitalizing Rail.”
“This is occurring in an environment where the state and local communities are relying on the corridor and coastline to mutually support the state’s climate, coastal mobility and sustainability goals,” she said. “And we cannot accept an either-or solution. Both our coastline and the transportation corridor are too important to us, both for the resources they provide today and for their promise for our future.”
Blakespear noted that if there’s no sand, there’s no access to the ocean.
“You can’t scramble over the big rocks,” she said.
OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson spoke on Monday, April 29, at the LOSSAN subcommittee meeting, acknowledging the need for sand replenishment as part of the plans.
Johnson detailed for the first time a “three-pronged approach” with the building of walls, delivery of rock and dredging of sand.
The 67,000 tons to 84,000 tons of rocks on the ocean side and catchment walls on the inland side would cost $183 million to $195 million, while adding 500,000 cubic yards of sand could tack on anywhere from $64 million to $145 million, Johnson said. Total cost of the work being looked at is in the ballpark of $247 million to $340 million, he told the subcommittee.
“It would be easy for me to say our No. 1 priority is the transportation corridor, and that is a true statement, but we also absolutely realize co-benefits exist, whether it’s lateral beach access for coastal access, protection of properties, recreation and tourism opportunities,” Johnson said. “And we understand the long-term impacts on the environment.”
Where OCTA could obtain the sand and whether funding would be approved, has yet to be determined. The proposal is still in the conceptual stages and has yet to be approved by the OCTA board.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reps, currently undergoing several sand replenishment projects throughout Southern California, met with OCTA officials on March 25 to discuss details of their construction contracts and projected schedules, but “OCTA determined its best course of action would be to pursue a project on its own, independent from our contract,” according to Dena O’Dell, an Army Corp public affairs chief.
San Clemente City Manager Andy Hall also spoke at the recent LOSSAN meeting, showing a slideshow of the rocks that have been stacked on the shoreline on the south end of town by OCTA in recent years, covering what’s left of a shrinking beach already suffering from erosion.
“When the rail was first put in, there was a revetment and there was a fronting beach width. As (sand) has naturally degraded and waves hit the revetment straight on, there tends to be a scouring,” Hall said, showing a photo of Solana Beach in San Diego, where a recent sand replenishment project has created a beach buffer to keep waves from hitting a staircase protected by rocks.
A screenshot of an Orange County Transportation Authority presentation highlights the changing beach landscape in south San Clemente through the decades. (Source: OCTA)
The bluff side is also an issue that is cause for concern, where water seeps out of the layers of sand and clay, even in the dry season, Hall said.
“The rail is getting attacked by both sides,” Hall said. “Mother Nature wants to pull that sand to the beach, but we have a trail and railroad in the way, so the beach is being starved.”
A big takeaway is just how hard it is to get sand projects in place, Hall noted, but how easy it is to put rocks down with emergency permitting.
“It’s much more difficult to permit putting sand on the beach, so if we can make that process as easy as it is to put rocks, I think we can protect the railway with sand,” he said.
Cypress Shores resident Michael Asay argued the rocks and the tracks give a layer of protection to the bluffs and cliff-top homes, such as his neighborhood.
“If we think San Clemente is plagued by bluff collapse and landslides now, wait until the railroad is gone and surf crashes directly against the cliff faces … we should strongly support the railroad efforts to protect the tracks with tried-and-true riprap,” he said. “It’s a logical solution for them to keep the trains running and it is readily available since they simply run the load down their tracks and dump it.”
Sand, if placed, would need retention devices such as jetties or offshore reefs to hold in place, he argued.
Others argue the riprap, if placed without sand, could damage the beaches beyond repair.
“Our beaches are the lifeblood of our community,” said Jeff Berg, spokesperson for Bring Back Our Beaches. “We refuse to stand by as shortsighted decisions threaten to irreversibly alter the very essence of San Clemente.”
Several upcoming meetings will discuss OCTA’s plans. The first will be at the agency’s Regional Transportation Planning Committee at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 6, with another discussion at the OCTA Board of Directors meeting on May 13.
OCTA will have an in-person listening session open to the public from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on May 30 at San Clemente City Hall, 910 Calle Negocio.
Save Our Beach – San Clemente is hosting an information session at Los Molinos Brewery from 4 to 7 p.m. on May 10.
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