From this article dated December 28, 2010 in the nctimes.com:
Platt said his family had no inkling that part of their backyard was gone until after last week’s storm passed and they went outside. He said the collapse made no sound and no one saw it happening. He said the Neptune Street home has been in his family for more than 30 years.
“Three or four generations have walked up and down those steps to enjoy the beaches,” Platt said. “We’ve raised babies and seen them grow up on the beach.”
John Turbeville, a MiraCosta College geologist who has made a study of shoreline erosion along the North County coastline, said the site of the recent bluff failure and areas just to the south are vulnerable to collapse if there’s much more rain in the next few days.
“It’s no surprise that you see things like this,” Turbeville said Tuesday as he eyed the collapsed bluff behind Neptune Street. “This is a common thing that happens. It’s not anything out of the ordinary.”
A surfer, Turbeville said he regularly walks the Encinitas shoreline and was taking his son surfing earlier this week when he noticed the collapsed bluff.
Typically, what happens is that rain will so saturate the bluff on a steep slope like the one behind the Neptune Street homes that the landscaping meant to keep it in place can no longer hold it —- so the soil slides down the hillside, Turbeville said.
“It’s real soft, and when you put water on it, it slumps,” Turbeville said. “The more rain we get, the more this is going to happen.”
And, for what it’s worth, the Coastal Commission’s policy of the past 10 years has been quite hostile to sea walls or construction to stabilize the property overlooking the water. I would hate to be this guy having to apply for a permit to repair this–although perhaps some mitigation to at least make the public view of it will not be entirely opposed.
What? Erosion happens? Bummer!
A million or more has just come off the value of those homes.
Jeeman will be oceanfront in RSF someday!
Iceplant is not an effective slope stabilizer. Its roots are much shallower than native bluff plants, and its weight only increases as is soaks up water during the rainy season.
Grandview is one of my favorite lunchtime beach walks. If you walk from there down to Moonlight Beach you can see all kinds of evidence of previous collapses over the years. Lots of stairs that lead to nowhere.
Coastal erosion cannot be stopped, it can only be moved. Anytime you “stabilize” one spot, you will just alter the wave patterns and increase erosion in another. A classic example took place near where I used to live in Northern CA. A breakwater was constructed around Princeton Harbor north of Half Moon Bay in the 50’s. Since then, about 100 feet worth of coastline south of the harbor has fallen into the sea. The Coast Highway has had to be rerouted inland once already, and plans are now in development to move it again because the erosion is continuing.
What happened to the short sale post?
Are you being hacked Jim?
Not sure on the hack, we are having computer issues today though. The short sale post evaporated, if anyone happened to copy or email it, could you send me back a copy – it has vanished.
What the state should do is allow them to haul in sand to widen the beach and stop erosion from the surf. As far as erosion from rain, well that is just going to happen.
Same issue as seawalls. Anytime you build up one area of beach you will accelerate erosion of neighboring areas. It’s the reason why the practice is so restricted in the first place.