Enjoying a warm fall day at the beach? Don’t let the bulldozers bother you. Each November, LA County rolls out heavy machinery to construct 11 sand berms along the coastline: one at Hermosa Beach, two at Dockweiler Beach, two at Venice Beach, and six more at Zuma Beach. Designed to protect seaside structures (bathrooms, lifeguard towers, parking lots) from especially strong winter storms, the seasonal berms have been around since the 1970’s, with improvements made after 1983 storms wreaked havoc on some beachside facilities.
Berms at Venice Beach (image via patch.com)
Throughout the county, beach-goers can’t seem to decide if the beach berms are a good-deal or not. Complaining about limited beach access hindered views, some Venetians want to see a stop to berm building. Over at the Venice/Marina del Rey BermBlog, anti-berm petitioners call the berms a violation of the Coastal Act (which protects the “scenic and visual qualities” of the coastline).
Further north, some surfers in Malibu welcome the arrival of berms. Surf site The Inertia explains that berm construction near the Malibu Lagoon is a win-win. With a plan developed by the Malibu Surf Association and Surfrider Association, the berms in Malibu actually increase beach access and improve surf conditions while defending against runoff-fed overflow from the lagoon.
2013 Berms at the Malibu Lagoon
Like it or not, 2014 berms are here until beaches are smoothed-out again in February.
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