A San Clemente-based environmental organization, the Surfrider Foundation, warned Tuesday that emergency seawalls are contributing to beach erosion across the nation. The group's 2026 State of the Beach Report found that the majority of coastal states lack adequate safeguards to prevent temporary shoreline protection barriers from becoming permanent fixtures.
The report evaluated the laws governing emergency shoreline protection projects in 30 coastal and Great Lakes states. Of these, 27 received grades of C or lower, indicating significant deficiencies in their legislative frameworks. No state earned an A grade, while only Connecticut, Oregon, and Texas achieved B grades. Five states—Alaska, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Wisconsin—received failing grades. California was assigned a C grade in the report.
Further findings from the report indicate that 40% of states currently lack minimum legal safeguards designed to prevent the installation of unnecessary permanent shoreline armoring. These findings are presented amidst growing challenges faced by coastal communities, including increased erosion and flooding due to storms, elevated tides, and rising sea levels.
In Southern California, the report specifically cited emergency construction along a railroad corridor in San Clemente. This project has involved the placement of approximately 27,000 tons of large rocks, known as riprap, along the coast. These installations have occurred under a series of emergency permits issued since 2021. According to the Surfrider Foundation, these barriers have rendered a segment of the beach connecting the Trestles surfing area to the wider San Clemente coastline impassable.
The organization cautioned that while such projects might offer short-term protection for infrastructure, they often contribute to long-term beach erosion and result in the loss of public access. The report describes this phenomenon as an “Emergency to Permanent Permit Pipeline,” where property owners or government agencies install seawalls, rocks, or other barriers under emergency permits, only for these structures to remain in place or eventually receive permanent authorization.
Surfrider contends that shoreline armoring interferes with the natural replenishment of sand on beaches, restricts the dynamic movement of the shoreline, and can accelerate erosion on adjacent properties. The foundation evaluated state laws based on seven specific criteria, which included how emergencies are defined, whether written authorization is mandated, if temporary structures are required to be removed, and if established enforcement procedures are in place. The report clarifies that these grades reflect the content of state laws themselves, rather than the consistency with which those laws are enforced.
Emma Haydocy, Surfrider’s senior manager for its Coasts and Climate Initiative, commented on the findings, stating that recurring and predictable coastal hazards, such as storms and elevated tides, should not automatically justify emergency construction that may permanently alter shorelines. Haydocy said in a statement that “An emergency permit should buy time for meaningful adaptation — not become a poor substitute for it.”
The report also provided examples from other states, such as Hawaii, where sandbags authorized as a temporary measure at a West Maui condominium complex in 2007 have remained in place for nearly two decades. In Oregon, the report noted that 20 of the 29 emergency shoreline armoring permits issued over the past decade were granted during a single erosion event in 2021.
To address these issues, the Surfrider Foundation recommended several actions for states. These include narrowing the definitions of coastal emergencies, requiring written authorization prior to any emergency construction, establishing clear deadlines for the removal of temporary structures, and developing comprehensive long-term responses to erosion. The organization proposed limiting the duration of emergency shoreline structures to a maximum of two years and prioritizing alternative solutions such as dune restoration, natural shoreline protection methods, and planned relocation strategies. The report also highlighted recent policy developments in Florida, Hawaii, and Oregon as examples of states beginning to reconsider their approaches to emergency coastal protection.
The Surfrider Foundation, established in Malibu in 1984, works through a national network of volunteer chapters and student clubs to advocate for the protection of oceans, waves, and beaches.
