The on going story of Ventura Point.

Part of the development of what the city of Ventura has named Surfers Point was the installation of a parking area at the end of Figaroa  St. Planters with palm trees in them were put on the beach side of the promenade that runs in front of the parking area.

It's all real nice but there is a problem.... it comes from nature and is called erosion. The problem is exacerbated by a couple things.

1. When we have little to no rain for a few years no new sand is deposited on the beach from the Ventura river.

2. The winter long shore currents scrub the point more now because of the revetment that the promenade sits on from the pier to the point.

A couple of years ago the city of Ventura spent time, energy and money in a attempt to stop the erosion. Dumping tons of cobble stone at the top of the point, in front of the palm tree planters. The idea being this would keep the ocean at bay. It was really only a very short term solution.... if a solution at all.

Waves and beach currents have a way of moving things. Cobble stone? Nature moves them with ease. Think about it... the cobbles on the beach in Ventura have migrated down the Ventura river from miles up stream. Winter storms wash and roll those rocks onto the beach and the ocean waters move them and place them along the coast. The reef at the front of Ventura river is cobble stone, as well, the point is cobble stone.  

All these cobbles were way up at the top of the point. 

Actually on the back side of the point.

So, the cobbles dumped at the point aren't there anymore. The ocean has moved them from the top of the point to inside point. They are on their way south to the pier. No protection for the palm tree planters now... a few of them most likely won't last the winter.

There are some cobbles left in front of the planters.

Obviously not enough.

The Ventura Marina inlet has been dredged in the past because sand would move around the seventh jetty and fill the opening of the marina. So to keep that opening... open... the sand was vacuumed up with a dredge and dumped on the south side of the south jetty so it could move on down the coast..

Maybe the city could do something similar with the cobbles. During the afternoon minus tides that we get every couple weeks a big dozer could be used on the beach to scoop up the cobbles from inside point and drive them up to the top of the point and deposit them where they were originally put. It could be an on going thing... every couple years when the cobbles move back down the point move them back with a dozer.

Yeah, that's the ticket... your tax dollars at work.

D.R.