It’s sand berm-building season in Seal Beach. Giant trucks and heavy equipment started arriving in Old Town last week and workers are currently erecting the structure which stretches from south of the Seal Beach Pier to just short of the fence of the Naval Weapons Station. The berm is built annually during November and is usually taken down in April. While it’s a popular place for kids to go sand sledding or for people to watch a sunset, the berm’s main purpose is to “protect against beach erosion and winter storm/wave damage to the beach and adjacent structures,” according to Seal Beach Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos.
Here are some other facts about the berm:
Berm basics
• It takes around two to three weeks to build the sand berm depending on if a “back-pass” is being used, as it is this year. A “back-pass” is when sand from north of the pier is moved to south of the pier.
• Most years, sand is gathered from the existing beach south of the pier to build the berm.
• The berm is almost half a mile long and at the tallest point is around nine feet higher than the current beach height.
• Seal Beach has been building a version of the berm since the 1940s.
• The cost to build the berm varies every year. It will cost an anticipated $215,000 to build and take down the berm this season with the “back-pass.” Next year, it’s projected to cost $150,000.
