Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan For Santa Cruz Littoral Cell

Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan for the Santa Cruz Littoral Cell

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In September 2015, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed the development of the Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan for the Santa Cruz Littoral Cell. The Plan was developed in collaboration with local jurisdictions and stakeholders, and the State Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup, a task force co-chaired by the USACE and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Santa Cruz Littoral Cell encompasses the 75-mile coastline from Moss Landing to Pillar Point.


Map of Overview for Santa Cruz Littoral Cell Study Area	Map of Delineation for Santa Cruz Littoral Cell

As a background, a Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan (CRSMP) is a consensus-driven guidance and policy document for a stretch of the California coast that seeks to present ways to: restore and maintain coastal beaches and other critical areas of sediment deficit; reduce the proliferation of protective shoreline structures; sustain recreation and tourism; enhance public safety and access; and restore coastal sandy habitats. The Plan will compile the best available data on sources of sediment inputs into the cell (e.g. rivers, bluff erosion), sediment sinks (e.g. harbors, submarine canyons), shoreline erosion rates along the cell, threatened infrastructure and erosion hotspots, etc. It will recommend future regional- and site-specific strategies for best managing and responding to these issues to protect coastal resources and infrastructure. It will provide sufficient information for local and regional coastal decision makers to develop policies, pursue sediment management measures, and provide a scientific background to support local coastal planning decisions.


Opal Cliffs in Santa Cruz	Rip-rap revetments have been installed as coastal protective structures in many locations in Santa Cruz

Each Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan includes:

A recommended governance structure best suited to implement recommendations within the Plan;
An outreach program to ensure participation by most stakeholders and the public;
An assessment of physical conditions (erosion, sedimentation, sand transport patterns, etc.) within the Plan boundary;
An economic analysis of benefits and costs associated with potential sediment management strategies within the Plan area;
An assessment of the environmental conditions and concerns within the Plan area, including sensitive biota and habitats, and;
A compilation of geospatial data layers for inclusion of this data into CSMW's GIS database, designed for visualization and ease of use by coastal decision maker

The CRSMP was developed through input from several Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) meetings and public workshops, which were held throughout the process to obtain stakeholder input, thereby ensuring that the Plan adequately reflects regional needs.

For more information on the CRSMP process, please contact:

Karen Grimmer, MBNMS
(831) 647-4259
karen.grimmer@noaa.gov

More background information on the CSMW, including the RSM process and the overarching California Coastal Sediment Master Plan, can be found at: http://dbw.ca.gov/csmw/default.aspx