Oceans & Beaches

Orange County health officials barred ocean water-contact sports in Sunset Aquatic Marina and Portofino Cove in Huntington Beach due to a 1,000-gallon sewage spill on Sunday, Oct. 14. The contaminants originated from a sewer line blockage in Anaheim, according to a news release from the Orange County Health Care Agency’s Environmental Health division.

Sections of the cliffs along Del Mar’s coastline have violently collapsed three times in recent weeks — casting a specter of disaster along the idyllic shoreline. Thankfully, beachgoers were clear of the landslides each time the sandstone bluffs came crashing down onto the beach in rolling clouds of dust and heavy debris.

After more than three decades of stops and stalls, the state this week made clear the fight for beach access at Hollister Ranch is far from over. Coastal officials revived efforts to create a long-delayed public path while also preventing a family from building on its slice of the ranch until all visitors can enjoy the 8.5 miles of secluded Santa Barbara County coastline.

A state of emergency was declared  for the bayfront community of Belvedere after investigation of a damaged seawall revealed the problem is larger than the city had realized. Consulting engineers told the city late last month it should act immediately to prevent the seawall along Beach Road — which protects the area from flooding — from shifting any further or collapsing into San Francisco Bay.

A Marin Audubon Society-led marsh restoration project in San Rafael’s Canal area seeks to pack a double punch on the environmental front by both restoring some of the state’s dwindling wetland habitat and bolstering defenses against sea level rise. The project at the 20-acre Tiscornia Marsh near Pickleweed Park is in its early planning and fundraising stages, but has already gained widespread support among San Rafael officials and departments.

As Congressman Jimmy Panetta stepped up on the podium at a ceremony last week at Hester Marsh, pelicans glided behind him to a landing near bobbing otters. The flurry of wildlife underlined Panetta’s message of just how crucial wetland habitat is. “We want to show the importance of Elkhorn Slough not just to the Central Coast, but to the world,” Panetta told the crowd of scientists, activists, and politicians.