Laguna Beach will install a camera at Aliso Beach that will help lifeguards monitor the shoreline, a nearby parking lot and a sand berm that people dig out to create a standing wave.
The beach in South Laguna, which is among the city’s most popular with its amenities such as easy parking, food concessions and bathrooms, requires more lifeguard oversight because of the beach’s shore break, rocky outcropping and large crowds. But also, officials want to increase monitoring of the berm to discourage beachgoers from altering the naturally occurring dam, which when dug into, creates a standing wave where Aliso Creek hits the ocean.
The wave is popular among skimboarders who argue the creek needs to empty out anyhow, whether it’s done by the city or the public. Environmentalists, the Surfrider Foundation and the Coastal Commission have been trying to get more attention paid to preventing the “recreational digging.” The city is also working on an ordinance that will be introduced next year to put rules in place prohibiting the digging out of the berm.
The $35,000 camera, which will be installed near the beach’s north end, will be monitored by the city’s lifeguards and used to address berm breaching and any other issues observed.
“We’re contacting anyone digging there,” Marine Safety Capt. Kai Bond said about what lifeguards have been doing since the city took over operation of South Laguna beaches from the county earlier this year. “If they’re walking there with shovels, we contact them and tell them not to do it.”
The cameras will be used to help “shift resources” for any concerns, Bond said. “It can be berm breaching, fire pits or for large crowds or if we need more lifeguard personnel.”
Environmental groups say testing indicates Aliso Creek, which drains run-off from inland cities from Trabuco Canyon to the ocean, often carries polluted water, which they worry is harmful to the sensitive eco-environment along the beach and…
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