4.0 Potential Coastal Receiver Areas
4.0 POTENTIAL COASTAL RECEIVER AREAS The San Diego shoreline, including the beaches, bluffs, bays, and estuaries, is a significant environmental and recreational resource. It is an integral component of the area’s ecosystem and is interconnected with the nearshore ocean environment, coastal lagoons, wetland habitats, and upstream watersheds. The beaches are also a valuable economic resource and key part of the region’s positive image and overall quality of life. The shoreline consists primarily of narrow beaches backed by steep sea cliffs. In present times, the coastline is erosional except for localized and short-lived accretion due to historic nourishment activities. The beaches and cliffs have been eroding for thousands of years caused by ocean waves and rising sea levels which continue to aggravate this erosion. Episodic and site- specific coastal retreat, such as bluff collapse, is inevitable, although some coastal areas have remained stable for many years. In recent times, this erosion has been accelerated by urban development. The natural supply of sand to the region’s beaches has been significantly diminished by flood control structures, dams, siltation basins, removal of sand and gravel through mining operations, harbor construction, increased wave energy since the late 1970s, and the creation of impervious surfaces associated with urbanization and development. With more development, the region’s beaches will continue to lose more sand and suffer increased erosion, thereby reducing, and possibly eliminating their physical, resource and economic benefits. The State of the Coast Report, San Diego Region (USACE 1991) evaluated the natural and man- made coastal processes within the region. This document stated that during the next 50 years, the San Diego region “…is on a collision course.
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