Preventing coastal armoring unless it is justified by the Coastal Act and well mitigated.
In Solana Beach, there was an application to fill 90 feet of seacaves with supposedly “erodible” concrete as a way to protect two homes, which are not currently threatened from erosion (and thus not entitled to a seawall) in order to prevent a seawall in the future. After years of going round and round, the Coastal Commission finally denied the application, largely due to Surfrider’s advocacy. With the applicant unwilling to prove the material would erode before it was installed, the beach going public was at risk of ending up with a “defacto” seawall if the material does not perform as promised. Furthermore, as conditioned Surfrider saw this as potentially creating a loophole for bluff-top homeowners to secure a seawall when they would not otherwise be entitled, setting a very bad precedent. We were glad the Coastal Commission saw it our way in the end.

Relevant Posts & Updates
Solana Beach update: De facto seawall denied
Despite a push by San Diego County supervisor Greg Cox to approve it, on January 14 the California Coastal Commission shot down the Solana Beach
Solana Beach Walk
The Beach Preservation Committee organized an educational walk in Solana Beach to discuss the negative impacts that seawalls have on beaches. Committee co-chairs Jim Jaffee
Surfrider Wins Concessions on Solana Beach Sea Cave Fill Permit
A Solana Beach homeowner won permission from the state Coastal Commission to inject concrete into a cave under a bluff supporting the property, but only
Surfrider opposes an “erodible concrete” project in Solana Beach
Since 2003 Surfrider San Diego has been commenting on and opposing a proposed project in Solana Beach by the Bannasch Living Trust. These bluff top
Weaning off the seawall solution
The San Diego County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation spearheaded a victory earlier this month in the ongoing battle against seawalls. In case you’re not
Surfrider continues the fight to protect our coastal bluffs
As part of our Beach Preservation Policy, we oppose the permanent use of Public Trust or Park Land to build seawalls and other such structures. Seawalls
COASTAL PRESERVATION
Our chapter maintains two volunteer-led committees dedicated to issues related to the preservation of our coast. You can learn more about them by clicking below, or start HERE to get some background on Surfrider’s Coastal Preservation Initiative