4 | June 20, 2019 | Malibu surfside news news malibusurfsidenews.com Beach’s ‘hyper-speed erosion’ stirs surfers City at crossroads amid continued erosion of historic Surfrider Beach Suzanne Guldimann Freelance Reporter The Malibu Surfrider wall was built in 1928 by the Adamson family, near the ancient Chumash cultural heritage site Humaliwo, which gave Malibu its name. It is made out of cement block and beach stones, each post capped with red terra cotta tile, and each section decorated with designs made from fragments of handcrafted Malibu Potteries tile. When it was built, the wall stretched all the way to the Malibu Pier. The section that remains at Surfrider Beach has been photographed so many times and appeared in the background of so many movies that it is instantly recognizable all over the world as a surf culture icon — one that is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Although the wall has weathered a host of disasters in its nearly 90-year history, it is currently at risk from erosion. Heavy rains, high tides and big surf have contributed to rapid erosion at Surfrider Beach. The situation is complicated by the outflow of Malibu Creek, which has drifted farther and farther west toward First Point, the famous surf break at Surfrider. Nearly 10 feet of sand have been washed out to sea this June, leaving the wall at risk, and also endangering the beach’s public restrooms and lifeguard tower, as well as the adjacent Adamson House Museum garden, long popular for weddings and parties. The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors acted quickly to move the lifeguard tower and install a barricade of boulders in front of the wall after big surf combined with astronomical high tides removed the sand, but that may not be enough. It is not the first time the creek outflow has drifted toward First Point; archival photos show a similar flow pattern in the late 1930s — also a period of big fires, big storms and heavy rain, but this is the first time erosion has put the wall at risk. During the summer, sand builds up in front of Malibu Creek, creating a dam and filling Malibu Lagoon with water. That berm of sand is breached in autumn or early winter, usually during the first big rains of the year, or by big waves during the autumn storm season. It doesn’t take much to open the breach when the water level in the lagoon is high, and for many years surfers had a hand in determining where the berm would breach based on the observation that when the creek flows out at the eastern end of the lagoon (Third Point), the outflow of sand and sediment augments the way the wave breaks down coast at First Point. In the years since California State Park’s lagoon restoration project was completed in 2013, the breach has been left to nature. Critics of this hands-off approach include some key members of the Surfrider Foundation and the Malibu Surfing Association. Both organizations supported the restoration project, but have subsequently raised concerns about the lack of a management policy. They point to other lagoons in the state that have successful breach management programs, including the Carmel River Lagoon, where a similar sandbarbuilt barrier has managed to prevent flooding, and the Russian River, where a sandbar breach program was developed to help the endangered steelhead trout. The surfing community was Surfrider Beach continues to become eroded despite the boulders brought in by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors to protect the wall. Suzanne Guldimann/Surfside News out in force at the June 10 Malibu City Council meeting to ask the council to take an active part in the discussion. Surfers-turned-activists brought a petition signed by more than 700 people that requests the creation of a multi-stakeholder lagoon management plan which includes a protocol for ensuring the lagoon breaches each season at its far western end. “Our elders, the surfing community and the Lagoon Action Committee have a legitimate right to be part of the remediation of Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Lagoon Management Plan,” the petition states. “Immediate action must be taken to correct this extreme problem, and we demand our place in all further planning and action towards remediation.” Pro surfer Allen Sarlo has surfed First Point for 45 years. He told the City Council that he is deeply concerned by the accelerated erosion and the potential safety risk it poses as well as its impact on the surf break. “We need a breach management plan,” Sarlo said. “All the surfers come to me and say ‘What can we to do?’ Now, all the sudden, you go to the beach in Malibu and there are rocks [instead of] beach. We need to work together and do something.” “We saved the wall; that’s a great feat,” said surfer Eric Gross. “A lot of things were done in the past, but the past is the past. What we do next is important.” Gross shared memories of going to Surfrider with his mother, and setting up her umbrella on the wide, sandy beach. “It’s gonna be quite the challenge to put an umbrella in the sand for mom this summer,” he said. “This is hyper-speed erosion, on an iconic beach unlike any other.” Third-generation surfer Carolyn Day described surfers as “the best firsthand observers” of the beach. “We are saying we have to do something,” Day said. “We are here watching our beloved beach fall into the ocean. When are you going to put in place a lagoon management plan? Failure [to do so] has led to increased erosion. The lagoon should breach at the far western end. A hydrology report is needed. You have consensus in the surfing community.” In the past, the City of Malibu has demurred on committing to a breach management program, which would have to include the numerous agencies involved in the lagoon, including California State Parks, the Coastal Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and even the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This time, after hearing from more than a dozen passionate speakers, the council voted unanimously to put the lagoon management plan on the agenda for a meeting within the next 30 days. “We need to be a better steward,” Councilmember Skylar Peak said.
malibusurfsidenews.com news Malibu surfside news | June 20, 2019 | 5 a new beginning Cliffside Malibu celebrates grand opening of new facility with ribbon cutting LIMITED Attendees gathered to celebrate Cliffside Malibu’s grand opening Thursday, June 13. photos by Suzy Demeter/Surfside News looking for the best fit for your child? TRY OUR NEw LIMITED SURF CAMP! small classes pro instructors artisan lunches &swag Cliffside Malibu CEO Kelly Stephenson officially inaugurates the new facility. 2:1 student to instructor ratio 24 students per session 6 hour semi-private surf lesson Artist Ako Eyong (middle) works with the center to organize art therapy classes. surf more get more 310-317-1229 malibumakos.com
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