Save Sunset Cliffs Master Plan:
“‘Pay-to-Play’ politicians have their hands in our park. Stand with Save Sunset Cliffs to stop the City from destroying the last remaining native parkland and demand a state-of-the-art storm drain system to protect our cliffs, our park, and our boulevard.”
EROSION
“Sunset Cliffs Park is eroding at an alarming rate. The erosion has now reached an emergency level.”
“In the next couple of years, erosion at Sunset Cliffs will reach crisis levels, much like other Southern California coastlines that are already experiencing catastrophic home and land loss. Sunset Cliffs Park is now at an emergency land-loss stage, and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard is in serious jeopardy of being lost if the current rate of erosion is not addressed immediately. Without swift action, the community faces not only the destruction of coastal parkland and the boulevard, but also a dire risk of home loss and potential threats to human life along Sunset Cliffs. The urgent need for a new ‘Comprehensive Storm Drain System’ cannot be overstated.”
The Save Sunset Cliffs Master Plan for Sunset Cliffs Park is as follows:
- Protect the park’s current use, history, and s
- Stop the erosion of Sunset Cliffs Park.
- Preserve and repair Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
STOPPING EROSION
“Accomplishing a new Comprehensive Storm Drain System is the top priority of the Save Sunset Cliffs Master Plan. This system will dramatically reduce erosion at Sunset Cliffs by allowing the cliff edge in Sunset Cliffs Park to dry out and halt the ‘Top-Down Block Erosion’ currently taking place. By stopping the saturation of the cliff edge, the new system will also make it possible to repair Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, which is being undermined by uncontrolled surface runoff, and preserve the boulevard for future generations.”
SAVE SUNSET CLIFFS EROSION PLAN
Top Down Block Erosion and Top Down Slope Erosion at Sunset Cliffs.
Sunset Cliffs Park is eroding at an alarming rate, and the situation has reached an emergency level. Within just a few years, Sunset Cliffs will face crisis conditions, similar to other Southern California coastlines already experiencing catastrophic loss of homes and usable land.
Sunset Cliffs Park is already in emergency land-loss status, and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard is in serious jeopardy if immediate action is not taken. Failure to address the erosion now risks not only the destruction of our coastal parkland and boulevard, but also homes — and ultimately lives.
The urgent need for a new Comprehensive Storm Drain System cannot be overstated. The cliffs are suffering from two forms of top-down erosion:
- Block erosion: when the cliff edge becomes saturated and collapses in large sections.
- Slope erosion: when stormwater runs off the cliffs during rainstorms, cutting away the land.
Only decisive action now can prevent the loss of our park, our boulevard, and the safety of our community.
“Top-Down Block Erosion”
“No Surf Beach Top-Down Erosion”
“Top-Down Block Erosion”
Erosion Threat at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Cordova
At Sunset Cliffs Park, severe erosion is occurring where the streets descending from the Point Loma hillside intersect Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The existing storm drain system — little more than a curb — is incapable of controlling the massive volume and velocity of rainwater runoff generated during storms. This uncontrolled runoff jumps the curb, flows directly to the cliff’s edge, and saturates the fragile bluff.
At the corner of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Cordova, this process has reached a critical stage. The saturation is driving catastrophic top-down block erosion and slope failure, placing the boulevard in immediate jeopardy of collapsing onto No-Surf Beach.
This is not a new problem — Sunset Cliffs has been experiencing this destructive erosion process for decades — but the current conditions now present an urgent risk to both public safety and vital infrastructure.
The Comprehensive Storm Drain Solution for Sunset Cliffs
The new Comprehensive Storm Drain System will consist of two separate systems, each with its own ocean outfall pipe. Both systems will include state-of-the-art pollution controls: toxic pollutants will be captured in holding tanks and safely released into the sewer system for treatment, while clean runoff water will be piped 500 feet offshore into the sub-tidal zone.
Because of the fragile condition of the cliffs, all work near or on them will use micro-tunneling technology to minimize disturbance.
The new Comprehensive Storm Drain System will be located in the public right-of-way alley east of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. It will intersect each of the streets that descend from the Point Loma hillside with a storm drain grate placed where each street meets the alley behind Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. These grates will direct runoff into the new storm drain pipes, capturing upslope rainwater before it can reach the cliff’s edge and cause the catastrophic erosion currently occurring.
System One will serve the streets from Point Loma Avenue to Guizot Street. Each of these streets will be fitted with a storm drain grate at the alley intersection east of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The runoff collected here will flow into the new system, where polluted water will be removed and clean water will be discharged into the ocean through a micro-tunneled outfall pipe.
System Two will serve the section from Hill Street to Ladera Street and capture runoff from the hillside area of the park.
Without immediate action, this erosion threatens not only the parkland and boulevard, but also nearby homes and community safety. The Comprehensive Storm Drain System is the only solution that matches the scale of the crisis.
PRESERVE SUNSET CLIFFS BOULEVARD
COMPREHENSIVE STORM DRAIN
With a new Comprehensive Storm Drain System, the erosion of Sunset Cliffs and the undermining of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard will be stopped. Preserving the boulevard will no longer feel like ‘fighting a raging river.’ Once the erosion is halted, the areas where the boulevard has already been undermined can be repaired, ensuring its preservation in its current location. The locations of serious undermining of the boulevard — and the corresponding repairs — are as follows:
HILL STREET
1. Hill Street — where Hill Street meets the cliff’s edge of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
This section extends from Hill Street to the entrance of “No Surf Beach” and is in need of immediate repair. The proposed solution is a tie-back repair, which secures a small, selective piece of natural-colored, stuccoed wire mesh to the cliff.
ROCKSLIDES
2. Rockslides; South of Monaco Street 200 feet where Sunset Cliffs Boulevard Bends. This Rockslides location repair need to have the rip-rap secured with colored cement mastic and a small tie back to maintain the integrity of the boulevard.
3. The Clairbourne’s Cove location needs the rip-rap to be configured to create an opening in the center of the rip-rap wall and then anchor the rip-rap with a natural colored cement mastic. With the new “Comprehensive Storm Drain System” this location will not suffer the erosion that is currently occurring, and will allow Clairbourne’s Cove to once again flush naturally.
Sunset Cliffs Surf Culture:
The culture of Sunset Cliffs is our greatest asset, and it must be preserved at all costs. Any future development of Sunset Cliffs Park will focus solely on preserving the culture and history of the cliffs, as well as the families that have made them what they are.
The benches and other memorials placed in Sunset Cliffs Park will not be removed by the City. Decisions regarding which memorials remain will be governed by the Sunset Cliffs community.
No new access points will be built to the base of the cliffs or beaches within Sunset Cliffs Park. Existing beach access points will be preserved in their current locations and maintained in their natural, native state.
The new Comprehensive Storm Drain System will prevent storm damage to the trails during winter months, making them far easier to maintain and preserve for community use.
TRAIL SYSTEM
Access to the Sunset Cliffs Coastal Trail will be limited due to the dangers along the cliff edge. The guardrail will be replaced from Adair Street to Ladera Street, and all current access points — including newly opened sections along the coastal cliff — will be closed to prevent foot traffic at the cliff’s edge.
Parking Lots and Parking Meters:
The parking lots will be repaired and maintained in their exact configuration. Each lot will be curbed, and drains will be installed to prevent erosion. These parking lots are a vital part of the surfing culture at Sunset Cliffs Park. For generations, surfers have gathered here, and the lots themselves are recognized as iconic in the history of surfing — not only by San Diego surfers but also by surfers around the world.
There will be no parking meters along the cliffs.
