Failure of coastal protection at Seacliff State Beach, Santa Cruz County, California, USA

Seacliff State Beach, along the shoreline of northern Monterey Bay, California, has a well-documented history of repeated destruction and reconstruction of seawalls and park facilities. Seven times in 60 years the timber seawall has been destroyed by winter storm waves and subsequently rebuilt. The deficiencies of the wall, including (a) inadequate attachment of timber lagging to pilings, (b) inability of pilings or lagging to withstand repeated impact of waves and logs, and (c) inadequate height and internal drainage systems have never been adequately addressed and each successive wall has essentially been identical to the previously destroyed wall.