PWA - Project Detail - Surfers Point Coastal Engineering for Back Beach Restoration

Title

Surfer’s Point
(pdf) 120KB

Surfers Point beach in Seaside Park in Ventura County

Project Summary

Surfer’s Point near the mouth of the Ventura River, combines a managed retreat of infrastructure and facilities with a cobble and beach nourishment project, and mimics the natural environment, provides space for coastal processes, and enhances habitat and recreational opportunities.

Location

Ventura County, California

Client

City of San Buenaventura

Project Detail

Surfer’s Point, located at Seaside Park in the City of San Buenaventura, approximately 30 miles southeast of Santa Barbara, is one of the most popular coastal recreation areas in Ventura County. Historically a river delta, the site was reclaimed from tidal marsh in the early 20th century, and included the construction of a levee and riprap jetty along the southeast bank of the Ventura River. In recent decades, severe erosion of artificial fill has degraded public access and use, including the collapse of a significant portion of bike path and parking lot. A multi-agency task force, including the City of San Buenaventura, Surfrider Foundation Ventura Chapter, BEACON, California Coastal Conservancy, Ventura County Fairgrounds, and others, was developed to agree on a practical, long-term solution for the restoration of Surfers' Point.

PWA was retained as a sub-consultant to provide coastal engineering expertise for the preliminary and final design of the back beach restoration of approximately 1,800 linear feet of shoreline. Restoration of the shoreline to more natural conditions using native materials, grading and planting was desired, as well as maintenance of public access recreation opportunities. Facility setback distances were recommended based on an extreme wave run-up analysis which considered several existing and future restoration scenarios. PWA also developed detailed construction documents to build a cobble and sand berm in an effort to balance restoration of natural conditions with recreational needs.

This project is featured on the NOAA website in the Shoreline Management: Managed Retreat area.

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Title		Surfer’s Point (pdf) 120KB
Project Summary		Surfer’s Point near the mouth of the Ventura River, combines a managed retreat of infrastructure and facilities with a cobble and beach nourishment project, and mimics the natural environment, provides space for coastal processes, and enhances habitat and recreational opportunities.

Location		Ventura County, California
Client		City of San Buenaventura

Project Detail		Surfer’s Point, located at Seaside Park in the City of San Buenaventura, approximately 30 miles southeast of Santa Barbara, is one of the most popular coastal recreation areas in Ventura County. Historically a river delta, the site was reclaimed from tidal marsh in the early 20th century, and included the construction of a levee and riprap jetty along the southeast bank of the Ventura River. In recent decades, severe erosion of artificial fill has degraded public access and use, including the collapse of a significant portion of bike path and parking lot. A multi-agency task force, including the City of San Buenaventura, Surfrider Foundation Ventura Chapter, BEACON, California Coastal Conservancy, Ventura County Fairgrounds, and others, was developed to agree on a practical, long-term solution for the restoration of Surfers' Point. PWA was retained as a sub-consultant to provide coastal engineering expertise for the preliminary and final design of the back beach restoration of approximately 1,800 linear feet of shoreline. Restoration of the shoreline to more natural conditions using native materials, grading and planting was desired, as well as maintenance of public access recreation opportunities. Facility setback distances were recommended based on an extreme wave run-up analysis which considered several existing and future restoration scenarios. PWA also developed detailed construction documents to build a cobble and sand berm in an effort to balance restoration of natural conditions with recreational needs. This project is featured on the NOAA website in the Shoreline Management: Managed Retreat area.