Capistrano Beach crumbling from erosion

DANA POINT, Calif. (KABC) -- Beach erosion is a hot topic, especially in Dana Point where Capistrano Beach is crumbling at a fast rate.

"I've lived here for most of my life and I've never seen it take out this much damage," Capistano Beach resident Jeanne Trimm said.

Amenities at the beach like a basketball court will be demolished along with a nearby restroom. The abrasion has left fire pits covered under a blanket of sand.

"Been coming down here for 50 years. It's kind of sad," Carol, a Laguna Nigel resident, said. "We've never seen it like this before, ever."

In an effort to protect the beach from further erosion due to big swells, high tides and rising sea levels, approximately 1,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed along a stretch of the beach in Dana Point.

Three-by-three-foot cubes filled with sand will be stacked and tied together to help prevent further beach slope erosion.

"It was a culmination of big surf and high tides at one time about a month, a month and a half ago," Jim, a Laguna Nigel resident, said. "I was actually on the boardwalk and the wave actually hit me on the bicycle all the way up here. It was really big."

"This is the first time we've seen the parking lot actually closed off," Carol said.

The Surfrider Foundation recommends replacing a portion of the parking lot by adding sand dunes with deep-rooted vegetation in order to prevent further erosion.

"We were told by a resident that the home values have decreased because of all of this. And their beach is disappearing," Carol said.

Although there are no long-term plans yet, the county does expect to conduct public outreach in the spring to determine the next steps.