San Diego coastal treasures and El Niño
Cliff collapse and erosion aren’t the only dangers posed by heavy rainfall and rising sea levels. Times of San Diego takes a look at what the experts are saying about El Niño's possible impact on coastal icons from San Onofre to the border.
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La Jolla
La Jolla Shores experienced some of the greatest erosion in the county during the 2015-2016 El Niño. Black’s Beach was hit hard. After that winter, researchers observed more than 260 feet of shoreline retreat and three feet of elevation loss as powerful waves stripped away the sand.
Erosion may endanger the iconic Mushroom House, an unusual concrete house at the southern base of Blacks Beach that became a graffiti battleground earlier this year. Built in 1968, the house has weathered decades of coastal storms and erosion. GDC Construction, a La Jolla-based company charged with maintaining the structure, did not respond to Times of San Diego’s inquiry regarding preparations for potentially supercharged winter storms.
North of the Mushroom House, Torrey Pines State Beach experienced significant erosion during the 2015-2016 El Niño. Researchers found the low-level erosion threatened the shoulder of North Torrey Pines Road — where people park to visit the stoney beach.
“This area has a great wetland, but the road is not on the most stable ground,” Professor Chaddock explained. This road also runs along steep coastal cliffs, making significant bluff retreat a potential threat to northbound traffic and public access to the beloved beach.
La Jolla Shores, similarly to Blacks Beach during the 2015-2016 El Niño, Young’s research team reported at least 260 feet of beach retreat and a minimum of 3 feet of sand height shaved away by powerful waves. The wide, narrow beach buffer that normally separates the Pacific from La Jolla’s parks and businesses may become even narrower this winter.
Kellogg Park sits right behind the eroding sand buffer. The park usually floods when sea levels rise by 2.5 feet, according to the city, especially during storm conditions at high tide. Due to this, the city has identified La Jolla Shores for the coastal resilience project; however, initial engineering has not begun due to funding constraints, according to city spokesman Peter Kelly.
Moving south, La Jolla’s shoreline shifts from soft, sandy beaches to rough, rocky bluffs. Despite their solid appearance, the sandstone cliffs face significant erosion risks. That, combined with high tides, forced organizers of the 110th La Jolla Cove Swim to cancel the event on September 9.
The rocky contrast is especially clear around Bird Rock, where cliffside houses sit on low bluffs above the ocean.
“Bird Rock is perched precariously, including Calumet Park,” Professor Chaddock added. “These cliffside dwellings are on sandstone and could have a rough time this year.”
The crumbling cliffs forced the city to consider an emergency development plan for a seawall reinforcement near Calumet Avenue in 2025, which awaits final approval.
A bluff repair plan for the avenue’s 5300 block was approved by a hearing officer in August, according to the La Jolla Light. Nearby individual property owners are pursuing emergency permits from the California Coastal Commission, according to Pacific Beach Builder.
Most coastal erosion damage is permanent, but the Windansea Surf Shack has endured storms since 1947. The local surfing community rebuilt the handmade hut after El Niño storms destroyed it in 2003 and 2015.
