Crews fight to save Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from San Lorenzo River!
Yesterday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel told of the rapidly flowing San Lorenzo River taking a sharp right turn onto the beach, instead of heading straight out to sea. The river water ran PARALLEL to the amusement park, close to a retaining wall of concrete that separates the Boardwalk from the beach. A wooden staircase from the Boardwalk to the beach was swept to the ocean by the current. The damages on Wednesday were estimated at several thousand dollars, and amusement park employees spent the day creating piles of sand on the beach to prevent the river from sweeping under the Boardwalk, PARTICULARLY where the retaining wall ends on the north end of the beach.
Today, the river continued to threaten the Boardwalk. The work done during yesterday’s third day of steady rain in creating a berm of sand, helped push some of the river’s water to the sea.
“It was good we did the work we did when we did it,” Boardwalk spokesman Marq Lipton said. “If the water had gone any further, there would have been significant damage.”
A berm helped push some flowing water to the ocean, preventing it from scouring at a concrete retaining wall that separates the historic amusement park from the beach. The park, which dates back to 1907, and its 88-year-old Giant Dipper roller coaster has suffered no serious damage so far.
The Seaside Co., which owns the Boardwalk, is allowed to do the work necessary to protect its property without permits from the city or state because of the emergency status.
“As long as they’re working to protect their property under this emergency condition, they’re well within their rights,” Public Works Director Mark Dettle said Thursday. “We’re monitoring the situation.”
Meanwhile, residents of Rio del Mar were dealing with a similar situation, in which Aptos Creek turned southward and passed directly behind homes.
-Bill at
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