Carpinteria Living Shoreline Project

The City initiated a General Plan & Local Coastal Land Use Plan update in 2016, which included a detailed Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan (SLRVAAP). The SLRVAAP, completed in 2019, evaluated vulnerabilities to City infrastructure and resources as well as the potential for future damages associated with coastal hazards such as coastal flooding, erosion, and severe storm events. The SLRVAAP identifies adaptation and resiliency strategies that are being used to inform the update to the General Plan, including creating a Dune & Shoreline Management Plan. The City has been awarded grant funding to create the Dune and Shoreline Management Plan, which includes developing several options for a living shoreline. The purpose of this project is to plan for a living shoreline dune system that will protect the shoreline and landward infrastructure against coastal hazards (e.g., tidal inundation, coastal flooding, and erosion) and future sea level rise. The living shoreline is a dune restoration adaptation strategy that will provide important benefits to coastal recreation, natural ecosystems, beach neighborhood, and the local economy.

Dune & Shoreline Management Plan

The City of Carpinteria Dune and Shoreline Management Plan (DSMP) was accepted by City Council in July of 2022. The DSMP serves as a planning document for a Living Shoreline Project, a near-to-midterm mitigation project designed to mitigate the impacts of coastal flooding and sea level rise while also restoring historic dune habitat on the Carpinteria City Beach.

•  Dune & Shoreline Management Plan
• Appendix A: Constraints and Feasibility Analysis
• Appendix B: Preliminary Concept Design
• Appendix C: Modeling Memo
• Appendix D: Draft Carpinteria Dune Restoration Plan
• Appendix E: Funding and Financing Maxtrix Report
• Appendix F: Public Comment Matrix

Public Workshops

Next Steps

Council has initiated a Benefit-Cost Analysis for the proposed Living Shoreline Project. A Request for Qualifications is anticipated to be released in February 2023.

Staff Contact: Erin Maker, Environmental Program Manager, erinm@carpinteriaca.gov, 805.880.3415