Rapid erosion reveals decades-old infrastructure at California beach – SF Gate

Big waves at the Wedge, Newport Beach, CA on Saturday, July 25, 2009 (by Mark Roland CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Massive swells created by Hurricane Genevieve earlier this month have caused huge changes to the California coastline. An entire beach near San Diego nearly disappeared, and access to one of Malibu’s most scenic beaches remains closed indefinitely due to severe erosion. And at the Wedge in Newport Beach, a celebrated surf spot on the Balboa Peninsula, not only has the sandy area shrunk dramatically..

Massive beach restoration project for Orange County coastline approved – CBS | KCAL News

Sunday Afternoon on the Pacific Surfliner: View of Beach & Lifequard Tower, Orange County (by Joe Wolf CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

The Federal Government has agreed to a major beach restoration project in Orange County to restore almost 2 million cubic feet of sand lost to storm erosion over the past several years.

The sand will be dredged from the sea and added to replenish the coastline from Seal Beach to Bolsa Chica to Huntington Beach and as far as the Newport Beach Pier.

“We’re experiencing a large amount of receding of sand into the ocean,” said Kevin Pearsall, State Parks Superintendent.

The project will help protect property and roads from flooding. Seal Beach saw flooding in January.

“It’s nerve wracking that they have to do that, but time erodes everything,” said Colleen Walsh, a Bolsa Chica resident…