Protecting Our Coast and Our Coastal Infrastructure

by Councilman Scott Peters
July 2003

When people think about La Jolla their thoughts immediately turn to our beautiful coastline and amazing beaches. The coastline is a marvel that can be enjoyed from from the cliffs above Black's Beach or in the water snorkeling at the cove or surfing at Windansea. Our coastal assets are the center of our quality of life, and as a member of the California Coastal Commission I work with leaders all over California to protect our precious coastal resources. Here at home I have focused on making sure that our water is clean for swimming and surfing and that we improve and enhance our coastal infrastructure.

Keeping our coastal infrastructure in good shape is essential to protecting our coast. I was pleased to join members of the "Friends of Windansea Beach" for a kelp cutting to inaugurate the completion of the latest part of the Windansea Plan. The plan, shepherded by the "Friends of Windansea," is a preservation, restoration and protection plan for the Windansea area. The Plan seeks to preserve the natural beauty of Windansea Beach by restoring eroded areas and designating points of access to the beach to promote access and prevent erosion of the bluffs. The kelp cutting celebrated new stairs at the Winamar public access, at the foot of Palomar Street, and between Colmar and Rosemont Streets. I was pleased to be able to provide $100,000 in coastal infrastructure funding to this very important project.

If you swim or snorkel at La Jolla Cove you may have noticed the new concrete stairs that were recently completed. They replaced the old and unsafe wooden stairs that had become a hazard and an eyesore. We will also soon begin work on fixing the erosion at the section of Coast Walk that overlooks the cove. The project will stabilize the eroded areas, and replace the wall and sidewalk that overlook the cove. This project should begin in Spring of 2004.

This Fall we will begin construction on a $3 million project to install low flow storm water diversion facilities at 14 different sites along the La Jolla coastline. Low flow diverters take high bacteria low-flow, runoff from storm drains and dumps it into the sewer system for treatment instead of onto the beach. This makes our water cleaner for swimming and surfing. The diversion systems also act as a check on sewer spills. The six systems currently in operation along the La Jolla coast have caught 80% of the sewage spills that have occurred in La Jolla and kept them from fouling our beaches. Through these and other efforts we are making great progress on water quality. Sewer spills are down 41% and beach closures are down 45%. With initiatives like these we will continue to make great progress on reducing water pollution.

You may have noticed work along coast walk near the Children's Pool. The Coast Walk project will enhance the area between the Children's Pool and the People's Wall creating a meandering 9 foot wide walking promenade where people can enjoy a stroll along this dramatic area of coastline. The promenade will include several sitting areas and enhanced landscaping along the route. To create more room for the path we narrowed the street and created diagonal parking along the East side of the street and removed parking on the West. This will open up views without reducing the number of parking spaces in the area.

Finally, I am pleased that we are moving forward with the new lifeguard station at La Jolla Shores and beginning the community input process for new towers at the Cove and Children's Pool. Lifeguards perform a very important public safety role in our community and it is important that we support them with good working conditions and facilities.

Taking care of our coastline is a job I take very seriously. I am pleased that we have been able to move forward a number of projects that will protect our coastline and our quality of life. See you at the beach!