goleta beach

This emergency rock revetment seawall was the County's initial reaction to coastal erosion and it sparked a decade long battle over managing Goleta Beach.

EDC: Saving Our Local Beaches

The Goleta Beach Saga – After a 10-year battle, EDC is turning the tide in favor of Preserving Goleta Beach.

History
In 2000, intense winter storms pulled sand off Goleta Beach leading to erosion of the grassy lawn and a portion of the parking lot at Goleta Beach Park.

The County installed an emergency rock revetment – a line of boulders to try to limit damage to the park.

Once the winter storms subsided, EDC urged the County to remove the rock seawall because such structures merely shift erosion to other beaches further down the coast.

Rock sea walls are also very dangerous and limit the public’s ability to safely access the beach.

The County listened to EDC and removed the rock seawall.

However, 2 years later the County installed another emergency rock revetment, but this time they did not remove it once the emergency ended.

The “Groin” Project
Instead, 5 years would pass before the County would conceive a new project: a multi-million dollar erosion control structure called a “groin” to be built on Goleta Beach next to the pier.

EDC worked with our client, Santa Barbara Surfrider, to oppose the groin which would have trapped sand destined for down-coast beaches. We did not want to see down coast beaches and bluffs erode, harming wildlife habitat, curtailing access and recreation, and necessitating extensive dredging to try to replace the lost sand.

EDC received grants from Coastal Fund and Fund for Santa Barbara to hire engineers and coastal scientists.  Others volunteered for our team. These experts determined that the groin would not be effective, would cause unintended environmental impacts, and that an alternative approach would cost less, be more effective, and not cause down coast beaches to erode. The Park Reconfiguration Alternative report can be viewed here: (link)

Victory for Goleta Beach
In July of 2009, our decade-long effort paid off when the Coastal Commission voted 9-1 to reject the environmentally damaging groin project.

In 2010 the County unveiled a new concept for the beach which protects the park and recreational facilities, from erosion, relocates sewer lines to prevent spills, and does enhances rather than damages local beaches. The new plan is called “Goleta Beach 2.0.”

While the plan largely mirrors the alternative crafted by EDC, unfortunately, the plan also includes a buried rock revetment which we oppose.  We are working closely with the Santa Barbara County Parks Department to refine the current project so that it is something EDC and Surfrider can support.

GOLETA BEACH IN THE NEWS!
Goleta's Oscillating Shoreline: What Caused the Erosion of Sand at Goleta Beach (By David Revell, SB Independent, Jun 30, 2010)
Goleta Beach 2.0: Back Again from the Drawing Board (By Brian Trautwein, SB Independent, Jun 19, 2010)
Goleta Beach Park Changes (Ian Hogan, SB Independent, June 30, 2010)