The Army Corps of Engineers approved an emergency permit for the Seal Beach sand nourishment project on Friday, April 17, according to Public Works Director Sean Crumby.
Following flooding of beach area streets caused by high tide activity, the Public Works Department built a small sand barrier to protect beachfront homes.
Meanwhile, Seal Beach staff is still working on getting California Coastal Commission permits for the sand nourishment project. Beachfront residents, meanwhile, have complained about the sand for the project that has been piled on the beach.
“The City of Seal Beach has been working to obtain permits for the current nourishment project for over six months,” Crumby said.
In addition to the emergency permit from the Army Corps, Crumby said the city currently has a coastal development permit application before the Coastal Commission.
“We are hopeful that the Coastal Commission will recognize the need for immediate action,” Crumby said.
Two weeks ago, Crumby said that Seal Beach was stockpiling sand while staff worked on getting the required permits.
Crumby recently said that the project is moving fast because the city got the sand before it got the permits. Normally, the permitting process takes a year. However, last year, following Hurricane Marie, the city had a need for sand nourishment. Orange County officials offered to supply the city with free sand. As sand is delivered over the fence of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, from time to time it is necessary to move the sand to make room for the delivery of more.
Beachfront Flooding
Crumby said that on Friday morning, April 17, water came up over the beach and onto the boardwalk. According to Crumby, the tide was 5.2 feet.
Mayor Ellery Deaton said there was flooding on 11th, 12th and 13th streets and that Seal Way took on water and sand. Deaton said that as far as she knew, no homes had been flooded.
Crumby said staff went out to the beach to assess how the flooding happened and how to prevent it. Public Works staff put up a small sand barrier to ensure that flooding wouldn’t happen through the weekend.
Crumby said that the 9:12 p.m., Friday tide of 6.2 was the reason staff responded with the barrier construction.
Crumby said staff continuously monitors tide activity and at times these things are unpredictable.
According to Crumby, there are a number of factors that can impact the beach area. He said that Public Works and Marine Safety (Lifeguard) Department look at a variety of factors when looking at potential problems. He said staff looks not just at the tides, but also precipitation, wind activity and waves. When staff looks at the waves, they look at both the height and the angle of the waves. He said last week’s waves came in at an unusual angle. He said the city constructs the winter sand berm in November and typically takes down the berm before April 1.
