(Published) letter to the SD Union Tribune:
Ellen Browning Scripps granted Children's Pool to the City in 1931 exclusively for recreational use and children's swimming, and the breakwater was constructed that same year. Due to relatively calm water behind the seawall, seals have taken over the beach and cannot be moved without violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The solution seems simple -- remove the man-made breakwater which protects the beach. The seals will leave on their own volition, and people will be able to recreate there -- as intended by Scripps. Who knows -- perhaps removal of the seawall will enhance surfing conditions, creating a long left pointbreak into the Cove.
BRENT MCDONALD
San Diego
Showing posts with label beaches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beaches. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Coastal Commission politics
"Letter to the Editor" published in the SD Union-Tribune Comments section:
As a former Coastal Commission staff member, I was saddened to read about Patricia McCoy's removal from the Commission after being raked over the coals by the Union-Tribune and other publications. Her unforgivable sin -- to further scrutinize San Diego's secondary sewage treatment waiver -- was voting in favor of coastal protection.
The commonly held perception of the Commission being strongly environmentally slanted ("out of control") is far from the truth, and McCoy's dismissal is but one example of the undue influence that money, power, and politics play on this group. According to the Sierra Club, McCoy's pro-coastal voting scores for the last two years were only 35% and 47%, and yet this was too much for Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson and his pro-development cronies.
In the late 1990s, when Democrats gained control of the State Governorship, House and Senate, coastal advocates were optimistic that new members on the Commission would finally balance out the environmentally-hostile appointments of the past. Unfortunately, these hopes have been bitterly disappointed time and time again. I applaud Patricia McCoy for a job well done, and I hope that Scott Peters can perform equally as well or better on behalf of protecting our beautiful coastal areas.
BRENT MCDONALD
San Diego
As a former Coastal Commission staff member, I was saddened to read about Patricia McCoy's removal from the Commission after being raked over the coals by the Union-Tribune and other publications. Her unforgivable sin -- to further scrutinize San Diego's secondary sewage treatment waiver -- was voting in favor of coastal protection.
The commonly held perception of the Commission being strongly environmentally slanted ("out of control") is far from the truth, and McCoy's dismissal is but one example of the undue influence that money, power, and politics play on this group. According to the Sierra Club, McCoy's pro-coastal voting scores for the last two years were only 35% and 47%, and yet this was too much for Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson and his pro-development cronies.
In the late 1990s, when Democrats gained control of the State Governorship, House and Senate, coastal advocates were optimistic that new members on the Commission would finally balance out the environmentally-hostile appointments of the past. Unfortunately, these hopes have been bitterly disappointed time and time again. I applaud Patricia McCoy for a job well done, and I hope that Scott Peters can perform equally as well or better on behalf of protecting our beautiful coastal areas.
BRENT MCDONALD
San Diego
Thursday, June 11, 1992
Jetty construction plans
Letter (published) to the Peninsula Beacon weekly community newspaper:
I am concerned about the proposed work on the Dog Beach jetty as mentioned in The Beacon on May 21. I believe that construction of a "9-foot-deep by 1,200-foot-long weir" involving the "removal and relocation of many of the rocks that make up the jetty" would adversely affect the surf in the area. Under certain conditions, the jetty causes sand bars to form, which can create a classic peeling right. Alternation of the jetty would surely impede the formation of these waves.
In addition, as a civil engineer, I disagree with Art Shak's assessment of the San Diego River's risk of flooding. The chance of a 100-year flood occurring is defined as 1 percent each year. The chance does not increase exponentially each year as he asserts. In the case of a large flood, Dog Beach would likely be washed into the Pacific and would not hinder the flow of the San Diego River anyway. Apparently the Army Corpos of Engineers needs to exaggerate the chances of a flood in order to justify spending $1.3 million and eliminating yet another surf break.
Brent McDonald
Ocean Beach
I am concerned about the proposed work on the Dog Beach jetty as mentioned in The Beacon on May 21. I believe that construction of a "9-foot-deep by 1,200-foot-long weir" involving the "removal and relocation of many of the rocks that make up the jetty" would adversely affect the surf in the area. Under certain conditions, the jetty causes sand bars to form, which can create a classic peeling right. Alternation of the jetty would surely impede the formation of these waves.
In addition, as a civil engineer, I disagree with Art Shak's assessment of the San Diego River's risk of flooding. The chance of a 100-year flood occurring is defined as 1 percent each year. The chance does not increase exponentially each year as he asserts. In the case of a large flood, Dog Beach would likely be washed into the Pacific and would not hinder the flow of the San Diego River anyway. Apparently the Army Corpos of Engineers needs to exaggerate the chances of a flood in order to justify spending $1.3 million and eliminating yet another surf break.
Brent McDonald
Ocean Beach
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