Breakwater project could bring sport fishing back to SM Pier
Despite that its entrance sign says there’s yacht fishing off of the Santa Monica Pier, there hasn’t been for decades. But that may change.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to rebuild the breakwater seaward off the pier, which would include a harbor and a dock for boats.
Over the past few decades, the 2,000-foot-long sea wall has slowly deteriorated, leaving now only a glimpse of it at low tide.
The Army Corps plans to repair the existing breakwater, rebuild 900 feet of it and construct a small boulder field to restore the rocky habitat. Not only will it provide recreational opportunities for the pier, but it also will protect the shoreline, said Don Spencer, project manager for the Army Corps.
The Army Corps was ready to begin the project a few years ago, but the city of Santa Monica held off on completing a state-mandated environmental review, Spencer said.
The U.S. Congress had earmarked money for the new breakwater, but because the city delayed the project, the funding was appropriated to other projects, Spencer said.
“We’ve delayed it for about two years,” he said. “When the (Environmental Impact Review) is complete, we’ll request the federal funding.”
The federal government plans to pay $4.7 million toward the project, with the city of Santa Monica providing $2.5 million. The U.S. Coast Guard will contribute $40,000.
The city has delayed the environmental review because it relates to another planned project at the pier, said city planner Jay Trevino.
Because the environmental review for the breakwater will study traffic impacts, city officials decided to hold off until it designs a proposed ramp to the parking lot north of the pier.
“Much of the data for the breakwater relies on the data for the ramp to the 1550 lot,” Trevino said. “The (ramp to the pier) is moving forward relatively soon and so the breakwater project is back on track.”
The Army Corps had estimated that the environmental review would be completed by this July. However, it may be another year before a report is done. Spencer estimates that the project could begin construction sometime next year.
“There is a need for it,” Spencer said. “There are recreational aspects to it so people are able to pay money to go out and fish like they do in Marina Del Rey and Redondo Beach.”
“There are recreational aspects to it so people are able to pay money to go out and fish like they do in Marina Del Rey and Redondo Beach.” — — DON SPENCER Project manager
Jan Palchikoff, executive director for the Pier Restoration Corp., which manages the pier, said while a boat harbor has definite advantages to tourism, it could be too much of a draw.
“From a tourism standpoint, it could diversify the offerings there and create a lot of opportunities to use the pier, but there may be significant impacts on the pier,” she said. “I think there is a lot to be looked at still.”
And there could be significant environmental impacts, too. The purpose of the breakwater is to minimize the wave energy before it hits the shore, but that also means the shoreline could be affected.
PRC chairman Michael Klein said he would like to see boats dock at the pier, but he wants to make sure they don’t attract too much attention.
“If the problems would be dealt with I’d be in favor of it,” he said.
The sign over the entrance to the pier, which has been there since the 1940s, was given to the city by the Santa Monica Businessmen’s Association and is now a historic landmark. In the 1950s, the pier’s boating operation was in its heyday. But for various reasons, that activity dissipated and so did the breakwater.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 27, 2002. Read the original PDF.