Sunny San Clemente’s beach issues are not new. The southern Orange County city has been fighting a war with the waves for years now, as strong tides pull at the surfer-friendly shoreline and erode away its precious sand. On the south end of town, the headaches of beach erosion have only become more intense in recent years as pounding waves lap against — and now routinely force the closure of — an important rail corridor connecting San Diego to the rest of California.
In an attempt to find answers, politicians have suggested more rocky riprap to stave off the water or even a long seawall. Both solutions come with drawbacks, including the removal of some public coastline access and erosion acceleration (as water crashes on rocks, it can spread out and more quickly scrape away sand).
Farther north, the loss of sand has been so severe in recent years that there was talk of having to relocate infrastructure and city-owned sites like the 1968 lifeguard headquarters building near the pier. The building was ultimately saved thanks to a 2024 sand replenishment that cost $800,000. Replenishment is an expensive solution, but one that many locals have long viewed as a savior for its big beach problem…