Carmel-by-the-Sea commissions review draft sea-level-rise adaptation pathways, prioritize monitoring and sand-source study

Carmel-by-the-Sea planning and Forest and Beach commissioners on Tuesday heard a presentation of a draft Sea Level Rise Adaptation Pathways report that lays out monitoring triggers, near-term actions and long-term options — including beach nourishment, engineered armoring and managed retreat — to respond to rising seas and coastal erosion.

"The Coastal Commission requires that local coastal programs be updated to consider sea level rise," Anastasia Aziz, a principal with EMC Planning Group, told the joint meeting, noting the work is grant-funded and intended to feed into an LCP amendment. The group said Senate Bill 272 sets a state requirement for coastal communities to adopt sea-level-rise plans by 2034.

The consultants divided the city’s shoreline into three planning areas — North Beach, Central Beach (including the Del Mar access and 8th Avenue emergency access) and South Beach/Scenic Road — and presented scenarios tied to roughly 1-, 2- and 4-foot sea-level-rise benchmarks. "With 4 feet of sea level rise, most of the beaches would likely disappear except for some very small pocket beaches," Dave Bridal, a principal and geomorphologist with Integral, said, adding that higher…