National Shoreline Management Study: California Regional Assessment

1. National Shoreline Management Study: California Regional Assessment US Army Corps NOAA CSC ERG

2. The primary focus areas of NSMS are: • Erosion and accretion and its causes • Environmental implications of shoreline change • Economic implications of shoreline change • Agency roles and contributions in restoring and renourishing shores • Systematic movement of sand

3. Regional Pilot Studies Detailed Assessment of MD, NJ, DE Images from: NOAA Coastal Services Center

4. Pilot Study Objectives Describe Recommend Describe Resources Committed by Federal, State, Local Gov’ts to Restore & Renourish Shores Geomorphic – Extent of Erosion & Accretion, & Causes Objective 1: Appropriate Levels of Federal & Non-Federal Participation in Shore Protection Economic Implications of Erosion & Accretion Objective 2: Use of a Systems Approach to Sand Management Systematic Movement of Sand along U.S. Shores Environmental Implications of Erosion & Accretion Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes & Gulf of Mexico Coasts

5. Overview • CA Regional Shoreline Management Study focus areas: • Erosion and accretion and its causes • Environmental implications of shoreline change • Economic and social implications of shoreline change • Agency roles/contributions in restoring and renourishing shores • Systematic movement of sand • Economic and social implications of shoreline change: Social Issues as expressed in literature, specific case studies • Annotated Bibliography (0ver 90 sources annotated) • Case Studies (15 total)

6. Preliminary Findings: What Makes California Unique • Bluffs and beaches: unique geomorphology • Importance of bay shorelines (e.g., San Francisco) • Surfing culture: growing advocacy, concerns about public access, effects of hardened structures on waves • Engaged academic community = robust research • Aesthetics is a major consideration • Multiple approaches: soft (nourishment), retreat (nascent), engineering (armoring), artificial reefs. • Regional sediment management on large scale

7. Preliminary Findings: Literature • CA is relatively research rich, unlike NoAtlantic Region, where cost/benefit studies and EIRs were most common socio-economic study • Growing emphasis on non-market value of beach recreation since the 1990 American Trader case • Studies included economic value of beach quality (width) and loss of economic value from erosion • Specific studies on tourism/recreation sector: e.g., revenues generated from beach visits, surfing use (one third of all surfers in the US reside in CA)

8. Preliminary Findings: Literature • These studies provide some valuable insights into the social value of the state’s beaches and the economic value of maintaining them • However, it is difficult to connect them spatially and temporally; they lack a targeted research agenda, a linear progression of the science, and follow-up. • Thus, although the literature is more robust in California, it is difficult to generalize from these studies to draw definitive socio-economic trends or conclusions about the effects of coastal erosion and accretion.

9. Case Study examples (15 total) Northern Region (From northern border to Tomales Pt) • Effect of accretion from tsunamis on fishing fleets (Crescent City) Central Region (From Tomales Pt to Pt Buchon) • Conflicts over shoreline management for multiple uses, long v short-term solutions including consideration of SLR (Ocean Beach) • Forced property abandonment due to bluff erosion (Pacifica) • Aesthetics of bluff erosion control design (Pleasure Point) Southern Region (Santa Barbara to Mexico border) • Erosion of Broad Beach and public access issues/property rights • Regional sand management approach (SANDAG)

10. Recently added case studies • San Francisco Bay: Long Term Management Strategy • Wetland restoration using dredged material from navigation channels • Long Beach: Beneficial reuse of contaminated sediment • Dredged contaminated sediment used as landfill at Port

11. Preliminary Findings: Costs • >10% of CA coastline is armored at cost of $500-$2000 per linear ft (riprap) or $1000-$10,000 per linear ft of armoring (e.g., seawalls, retaining walls) • $67M of state and federal $ has been spent on 10 beach nourishment projects since 1984* • From 1999-2010: • Approximately 20 million cy of sediment was dredged and placed on beaches at cost of $3.82-$74.00 per cy • On average, 39% of all dredging material was used for beach re-nourishment • An average of 58% of the total cost of dredging went to re-nourishment *Feds contributed to 6 of 10 projects

12. Economic Indicators • The California Department of Boating and Waterways estimated that visitors to California’s beaches spent $61 billion in 2001 (CA DBW, 2002). • Kildow and Colgan (2005) estimated that 86% or $43/$46(2006 updated) billion of the gross state product (GSP) in 2000 came from coastal counties. • Tourism/recreation (55%) and marine transport (36%)make up more than 90% of the ocean economy in all 3 regions; about 70% of CA ocean economy is in Southern region.

13. Questions for the CSMW - Details • Any additional estimates for armoring costs available? • Does CSMW support use of OMBIL data? • Case studies needing review: • Crescent City • Redwood City • San Francisco – LTMS, Pacifica, and Port of LB.

14. Big Picture Questions • Are there anything major social, economic or policy issues that we are missing or need further emphasize? • What are the most important gaps that need to be filled to inform social, policy and economic issues? • What are obstacles standing in the way of more efficient and effective shoreline management? • How can the findings of the National Shoreline Management Study be useful California and the West Coast Governors’ Agreement?

15. Contacts Please provide us with your comments and any additional information by February 2nd Martina McPherson: martina.mcpherson@erg.com Arleen O’Donnell: arleen.odonnell@erg.com