Editor's Note
This article from 2019 documents the founding of Citizens for Coastal Conservancy and our early advocacy work protecting Imperial Beach coastal homeowners from flawed sea level rise policies. While our organization has since expanded to focus on the Tijuana River sewage crisis, this foundational story shows our commitment to science-based environmental advocacy and community empowerment that continues today.
The Beginning: When Citizens Said "No" to Flawed Science
Citizens for Coastal Conservancy was born from a moment of collective outrage. At four separate public meetings regarding the Local Coastal Plan and General Plan, the citizens of Imperial Beach almost unanimously rejected the findings of the "2016 City of Imperial Beach Sea Level Rise Assessment" by Revell Coastal, L.L.C. This wasn't just disagreement with policy recommendations—it was a fundamental rejection of flawed science being used to justify the dismantling of coastal protections and the potential seizure of private property.
The public's distaste for this document stemmed from its lack of scientific details, misstated facts, and blatant omissions of other coastal erosion projects which should have been considered by the City of Imperial Beach to protect coastal homeowners' properties. Most shocking was the document's call for the dismantling of coastal armoring by 2030 and for private homeowners to have properties taken through zoning laws by the City government through the Local Coastal Plan and General Plan. Some called this tactic "Eminent Domain." Many citizens felt these details were purposely hidden from the public by non-governmental organizations and were largely unknown to all but a few citizens and public servants.
Critical Scientific Omissions
The 2016 Revell Report contained two glaring omissions that undermined its entire analysis:
The Missing Cobblestone Reef
The report completely omitted the fact that a cobblestone reef located 1,000 yards offshore historically absorbed wave energy from large storms—the primary cause of coastal erosion. This is the same reef made famous by large wave riding of surfing pioneer Dempsey Holder in the 1950s and 1960s. This reef naturally absorbed wave energy far offshore and actually helped sand to be deposited on the beach, providing critical natural coastal protection.
By ignoring this natural infrastructure, the Revell Report fundamentally mischaracterized the mechanisms of coastal erosion at Imperial Beach and failed to consider strategies for reef restoration or enhancement.
The Tijuana River Sand Supply
The second critical omission was the historical supply of the Imperial Beach shoreline with 660,000 cubic yards of sand and cobblestone, documented in a 1976 report by Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Douglas Inman. This sand and cobbles are supplied to the beach by the Tijuana River and replenish the beaches with sand annually. The river also supplies replacement cobblestone for the reef that protects the beaches from erosion.
Ignoring this massive annual sediment supply meant the Revell Report could not accurately model future coastal dynamics or evaluate the impact of changes to Tijuana River flows on beach stability.
The Managed Retreat Controversy
The most controversial aspect of the 2016 Revell Report was its recommendation for "managed retreat"—essentially abandoning coastal properties to erosion and preventing homeowners from protecting their investments. The subsequent "2018 Resilient Imperial Beach LCP/GP Strategic Plan" by AECOM explicitly stated that it relied on the Revell Study as a "strong body of knowledge that provides an excellent basis for developing LCP/GP policies."
This meant that flawed science was being used as the foundation for policy decisions that would fundamentally reshape Imperial Beach's coastline and threaten the property rights of coastal residents—many of whom are working-class families who invested their life savings in their homes.
Community Rejection and New Opportunities
The overwhelming community rejection of the Local Coastal Plan and General Plan based on the flawed Revell Report might have seemed like a setback, but it actually provided many new opportunities:
Genuine Dialog: For the first time, local people who actually live in Imperial Beach had a voice in coastal management decisions, rather than having policies imposed by outside consultants and non-governmental organizations.
Innovative Strategies: The rejection opened the door to considering innovative new strategies to protect our coastline, including offshore reef restoration, improved sediment management, and coordination with Tijuana River flood control projects.
Proper Habitat Management: Rather than abandoning coastal areas to erosion, the community could advocate for proper habitat management that balances ecological protection with property rights and public access.
Recreational Facilities: The additional time provided an opportunity to improve recreational facilities and public use of our coastline, rather than simply restricting access.
Environmental Ethos: Most importantly, the rejection established a proper ethos for public management of our environmental resources—one based on transparent science, community input, and respect for property rights.
Coordination with Tijuana River Valley Projects
The additional time taken to rewrite the Local Coastal Plan and General Plan also provided a critical opportunity to coordinate with the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) regarding their preliminary plans for construction of a dike system to protect against 100-year flood events in the Tijuana River Valley.
Understanding the connection between Tijuana River sediment supply and Imperial Beach coastal stability meant that flood control projects in the river valley needed to be designed to maintain natural sediment flows to the coast. This kind of integrated watershed-to-coast planning requires time, scientific analysis, and community input—exactly what the rushed Local Coastal Plan process was failing to provide.
Demanding Better Science
It became clear that the City's plan should be rejected until more information concerning the sand being supplied by the Tijuana River was investigated and the replacement of offshore armoring was considered as a realistic strategy. This wasn't anti-environmental advocacy—it was pro-science advocacy demanding that coastal management decisions be based on accurate data, comprehensive analysis, and consideration of all viable protection strategies.
The Birth of C4CC
From these public meetings and community organizing efforts, Citizens for Coastal Conservancy was born. We recognized that Imperial Beach needed an organization that could:
- Conduct independent scientific research to fill gaps left by incomplete consultant reports
- Advocate for science-based policy that protects both coastal ecosystems and community interests
- Empower local residents to participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making
- Hold government agencies accountable for transparent, rigorous analysis
- Coordinate across jurisdictions to address complex environmental challenges that cross city, county, state, and international boundaries
From Coastal Erosion to Sewage Crisis
While our organization began by fighting flawed sea level rise policies and advocating for proper coastal protection, we soon recognized that Imperial Beach faced an even more immediate environmental crisis: cross-border sewage pollution from the Tijuana River.
The same principles that guided our early work—demanding rigorous science, questioning official narratives, empowering community voices, and advocating for cost-effective solutions—would prove essential as we expanded our focus to the sewage crisis that has devastated South Bay San Diego for decades.
The offshore cobblestone reef we fought to protect? It's now contaminated with sewage. The Tijuana River sediment supply we documented? It now carries 35 million gallons of raw sewage annually. The coastal homeowners we defended? Their properties have lost value due to perpetual beach closures caused by sewage pollution.
Our Continuing Mission
Today, Citizens for Coastal Conservancy continues the mission we started in 2019: fighting for science-based environmental solutions that protect both ecosystems and communities. We've expanded from coastal erosion advocacy to comprehensive work on the Tijuana River sewage crisis, but our core principles remain unchanged:
- Rigorous Science: We conduct and publish original research that fills gaps in official analyses
- Community Empowerment: We give voice to residents who are disproportionately harmed by environmental injustice
- Government Accountability: We challenge flawed policies and demand transparent decision-making
- Cost-Effective Solutions: We advocate for practical, implementable solutions rather than expensive boondoggles
- Integrated Thinking: We recognize that coastal health, river management, and binational cooperation are interconnected
Looking Back, Moving Forward
The 2019 fight against the flawed Revell Report and the Local Coastal Plan taught us valuable lessons that continue to guide our work:
Don't Accept Official Narratives at Face Value: The Revell Report was presented as authoritative science, but community scrutiny revealed critical omissions and flawed methodology. Today, we apply the same skepticism to official claims about water quality testing, infrastructure projects, and binational agreements.
Community Knowledge Matters: Local residents who live with coastal erosion and sewage pollution every day often understand these problems better than outside consultants. Empowering community voices leads to better solutions.
Science Must Be Transparent: Environmental decisions that affect property rights, public health, and ecosystem integrity must be based on transparent, peer-reviewed science—not consultant reports that omit inconvenient facts.
Persistence Pays Off: The community's unanimous rejection of the flawed Local Coastal Plan forced the City to reconsider. Today, we continue that persistence in demanding better solutions to the sewage crisis.
Join Us
Citizens for Coastal Conservancy started with concerned residents showing up to public meetings and demanding better science. Today, we're a recognized voice in environmental advocacy, conducting original research, publishing investigative journalism, and fighting for the coastal communities that have been ignored for too long.
Whether the issue is coastal erosion, sewage pollution, faulty water quality testing, or flawed federal infrastructure plans, our mission remains the same: protect our coast, empower our communities, and demand science-based solutions.
If you believe that environmental policy should be based on rigorous science, transparent decision-making, and respect for community voices, we invite you to join us. Together, we can continue the work we started in 2019—standing up for Imperial Beach and demanding the environmental protection our coastal city deserves.
Citizens for Coastal Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Southern California's coastal environments through education, research, and science-based advocacy. Learn more at citizensforcoastalconservancy.org or contact us at [email protected].