The area covered by the Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan. Photo: ESA PWA via sfestuary.org.

If there’s one thing that ties together western San Francisco, Daly City and Pacifica more than fog, it’s sand.

Like the fog, the sand of these communities’ ocean beaches comes and goes on its own schedule, and it’s not always a schedule that works with human activities on the shoreline. But a group of engineers and government agencies is working on a way to respond to coastal erosion and rising sea levels, and manage the movement of sand in an area from Fort Point in San Francisco south to Point San Pedro, south of the Linda Mar area of Pacifica.

This section of the coast not only has extensive residential development on vulnerable cliffs and shorelines, but cities also have placed public infrastructure there, from parking lots and recreational amenities to roads and sewer outfalls. When sand moves in this area, it can threaten this infrastructure, diminish the aesthetic qualities of beaches and even affect public access to the water.

Options for addressing the movement of sand in this area include moving sand from areas where it is accumulating to areas where it’s eroding, building artificial reefs to moderate the movement of sand in ocean currents, moving some infrastructure and allowing erosion to occur, or a combination of these tactics.

Thursday evening, the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup are holding a meeting to introduce their work and gather responses from the public.

Thursday’s meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, 654 Mission Street.

Another meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 19 in the Pacifica City Council chambers, 2212 Beach Blvd., Pacifica.

Here is a press release about the plan process and the public meetings:

Public Meeting on Sand Management Plan for SF to Pacifica Shoreline

The Association of Bay Area Governments and the Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup invite the public to provide input on a Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan being developed for Fort Point, San Francisco, to Point San Pedro, Pacifica, at two identical meetings to be held in July, 2012. “Regional sediment management” refers to sand.

These meetings will:

·        Describe erosion issues affecting ocean beaches and coastal infrastructure, such as parking lots, highways, structures, storm drains, and sewage outfalls

·        Present implementation options (proposed solutions such as beach nourishment, multi-purpose reefs, allowed erosion, and managed retreat) and concepts for a regional plan

·        Solicit public comments on plan concepts

Thursday, July 12, 6:00-8:30pm       OR

SPUR 2nd Floor Public Assembly Hall

654 Mission Street, San Francisco

Exhibition opens at 6:00; meeting begins at 6:30

Thursday, July 19, 7-9pm

City Council Chambers

2212 Beach Boulevard, Pacifica

All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Athena Honore: ahonore@waterboards.ca.gov or 510-622-2325. Individuals requiring special accommodations to access the meeting should contact Ms. Honore at least five business days prior to the meeting.

The plan will address geological and geomorphic processes (movement of water and earth affecting sand), habitats and plant and animal species of concern, infrastructure at risk, economic costs/benefits, public access, sea level rise, and policies affecting sediment (sand) management.

ESA PWA, an environmental hydrology firm, is completing this CRSMP for the Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup, a task force co-chaired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is providing a governance structure for the effort.

The CRSMP is being developed now, and a draft CRSMP will be available for public review in the fall of 2012. Public meetings to solicit feedback on the draft will be held at that time.

The public’s views and comments on the plan concepts and this project are welcomed. Those unable to attend the meetings may submit written comments, which must be postmarked or submitted by e-mail by August 20, 2012, to Doug George, ESA PWA Project Manager, 550 Kearny St., Ste. 900, San Francisco CA 94108; or dgeorge@esassoc.com.

For more information, contact Athena Honore at ahonore@waterboards.ca.gov or 510-622-2325.