Our eroding coastline: Recent storms are reshaping beaches, and some are getting tougher to visit

By LAYLAN CONNELLY / STAFF WRITER / OC Register

Eight-year-old Phoebe DeMoss chases her puppy down a sandy cliff that a month ago was a flat, dirt parking lot and hangout spot for surfers at San Onofre State Beach.

Trailed by her father, Bob, she heads toward a 10-foot concrete pillar topped with a sign warning visitors to stay clear from the stretch of beach. The massive, tilted structure encircled by cobblestone – unearthed by recent wild weather – is one of a half-dozen like it, giving the once-pristine beach the look of a scene from an apocalyptic movie.

“It’s crazy to see what Mother Nature can do, right?” Bob DeMoss said.

Recent fierce storms – and their accompanying whipping winds, strong rain and extreme high tides – have made a notable dent on the coastal landscape, cropping out chunks of sand and sucking it out to sea.

The result is evident up and down Orange County’s shoreline. If you’re headed to the beach to enjoy this week’s summerlike weather, you’ll find less sand in some spots to lay down your towel. At already cramped San Onofre State Beach, there’s less access and parking. Parts of Laguna Beach and San Clemente have been closed off to protect beachgoers’ safety. And in areas like the Balboa Pier, walls of sand rise up where it once was flat.

Longtime lifeguards and beach regulars say they haven’t seen this kind of erosion in decades. With El Niño-driven storms likely to be a threat through March, the upcoming weeks could bring even more upheaval along the beach… read more