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Orange County transportation officials are in a multi-front battle with a dwindling shoreline, unstable cliff sides and a rail line that keeps getting damaged.
The shoreline has gotten so close to the tracks that waves are crashing onto trains passing through the Spanish Village by the Sea.
In response, Orange County Transportation Authority officials have been working to stabilize the area with protective measures like riprap — a wall of loose stones and rocks placed along the train tracks to block the waves.
But there’s a growing movement of residents and environmental groups who fear the rocks diminish coastal access and could have negative effects on the environment like worsening the coastal sand loss problem.
A joint letter signed by nine different groups — including the Surfrider Foundation, San Clemente Green, the Endangered Habitats League, Save Our Beaches San Clemente, the California State Parks Foundation and more — voices concern against placing more rocks along the coast.
The letter calls for county officials to complete a full environmental impact study and consider all alternative options before laying down any more riprap on San Clemente State Beach.
“This beach also contains vital coastal dunes and potential sensitive habitat,” reads the letter. “Given the magnitude of the potential harm to this priceless beach, a full [Environmental Impact Report] must be completed to ensure that irreparable damage is avoided.”
“All viable alternatives to shoreline armoring must be carefully examined, including nature-based alternatives, rail relocation or retirement and train speed management,” reads the letter.
[Read: Transportation Officials Discuss Future of OC’s Collapsing Coastal Railway]
Eric Carpenter, a spokesperson for OCTA, emphasized that they are in the middle of the planning process trying to find different solutions and listening to different perspectives.
“We are doing our best to keep the rail line running while we navigate the challenges of being sandwiched between shrinking beaches and unstable slopes — both of which are outside of our direct control,” Carpenter said in a Tuesday email.
OCTA owns the seven-mile stretch of train tracks that run directly adjacent to San Clemente’s coastline — less than 200 feet away from the water’s edge in some areas.
Yet transportation officials struggle to keep the railroad tracks from getting damaged.
“OCTA doesn’t own the sliding slopes or the eroding beach, but we are caught in the middle trying to protect an important piece of Southern California’s transportation infrastructure that was built along the coastline nearly 150 years ago,” Carpenter said.
The Pacific Surfliner train has seen five closures since 2021 as erosion chips away at San Clemente’s beaches and the area is repeatedly affected by slope failures and debris on the tracks.
[Read: Bolstering South Orange County’s Coastline]
In 2021, transportation officials spent $8 million on an emergency riprap placement.
Transportation officials are in the middle of studying the best ways to protect the rail line and keep it running in the near future and for decades to come.
While solutions are still being developed — and OCTA gathers feedback from the community — proposed concepts include adding over 60,000 tons of rock and over 500,000 cubic yards of sand.
Those plans are still being developed and could change.
Although placing riprap can protect the rail line from waves, it has the potential to worsen the effects of erosion and prevent locals and tourists from enjoying the beach.
San Clemente residents are largely calling for increased sand replenishment on the beaches instead of a stone sea wall. Some are urging county officials to consider moving the tracks in order to protect coastal access.
The Surfrider Foundation is also calling for the California Coastal Commission to require OC officials to complete the environmental analysis in order to publicly reveal any harmful effects from the riprap.
“The gravity of what is at stake cannot be overstated,” reads a different letter from Elizabeth Taylor, legal counsel for the Surfrider Foundation. “If OCTA/SCRRA is allowed to move forward with their planned armoring, the public will lose one of the most popular beaches and last easily accessible stretch of scenic undeveloped coastline in Southern California.”
[Read: San Clemente Clashes With OC Transportation Officials Over Beach Erosion]
An online petition calling for an end to OCTA’s hard-armoring plans has gathered over 11,000 signatures in three months.
It is instead encouraging transportation officials to prioritize sand replenishment over armoring with rocks.
“OCTA has heard from the community and clearly understands that sand is an important piece of the solution to protecting the rail line, in conjunction with other elements,” Carpenter said. “We are working quickly to address the most vulnerable areas along the rail line to try and prevent any additional disruptions to service.”
San Clemente city officials have made sand replenishment a top priority to bolster their dwindling beaches.
Council members are looking at a variety of different methods to bring new sand back onto the coastline, including a partnership with the United States Army Corps of Engineers that’s aiming to place two million cubic yards of sand over the next 50 years between Linda Lane and T Street beaches.
Additionally, trucks have already started dumping up to 50,000 cubic yards of new sand on North Beach.
While OCTA’s conceptual plans to strengthen the coastline include adding new sand, locals still have concerns about additional riprap.
“Put simply, the public is not willing to sacrifice our beaches for the train,” concludes the letter from Taylor.
“Surfrider speaks for the beaches and those who cherish them. We believe it is possible to have innovative zero-emission public transportation without destroying our beloved coastal bluffs and beaches or other sensitive habitat.”
OCTA’s Coastal Rail Resiliency Study — which aims to evaluate different solutions to protect the rail line — is still underway. Transportation officials are still gathering feedback from stakeholders, and a final report is scheduled to be released in fall 2025.
“It’s important to note, what OCTA has developed to this point is at a conceptual level and we do not have any specific project proposals,” Carpenter said.
“Once the concepts are more fully developed, the scope of any proposed projects will dictate the environmental process we are required to follow.”
Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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