More Sand for Redondo Beach: Three County Projects That Could Shape Our Shoreline

A Wider, More Resilient Beach: What Los Angeles County Is Planning for Redondo Beach

Los Angeles County is working on several related projects that could have a significant long-term impact on Redondo Beach’s shoreline.

The one residents are most likely to notice is the proposed Redondo Beach Living Shoreline Project, which could add a substantial amount of sand to the beach south of the pier and create new coastal dune habitat near Topaz.

But that project is actually one part of a larger County coastal-resilience effort. Two additional programs, the Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP) and the Regional Coastal Strategic Adaptation Plan (RCSAP), could also shape how Redondo Beach manages erosion and beach sand for decades to come. Los Angeles County lists all three as components of its coastal-resilience program.

The Redondo Beach Living Shoreline

The proposed Living Shoreline project would replenish approximately 10 to 15 acres of beach between the Redondo Beach Pier and the Topaz Groin, using approximately 300,000 cubic yards of clean, beach-compatible sand.

The current concept also includes approximately 0.7 acres of coastal dune habitat near the Topaz Groin, using native vegetation to help establish a more natural and resilient shoreline.

Rather than relying entirely on hard structures such as seawalls, the idea behind a living shoreline is to use sand, dunes and vegetation as part of the coastal defense system.

A wider beach provides more recreational space, but it also creates a larger buffer between the ocean and infrastructure behind the beach, including the bike path, beach access points, utilities, storm drains, parking areas and lifeguard facilities.

The County held a Redondo Beach-specific stakeholder meeting on June 16, 2026, and has made both the presentation and meeting recording available to the public.

SCOUP: Making it easier to bring sand to Redondo Beach

The second effort is called the Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program, or SCOUP.

The concept is fairly simple. Construction, harbor dredging and flood-control projects sometimes generate large quantities of clean sand. Historically, getting that sand onto a beach can require a lengthy environmental review and permitting process each time an opportunity arises.

SCOUP creates a pre-established framework designed to streamline environmental review and regulatory approval for relatively small beach nourishment projects, generally up to 150,000 cubic yards per year, when compatible sand becomes available. Potential sources include upland development and redevelopment projects, harbor-maintenance dredging and flood-control maintenance.

Most importantly for us, Redondo Beach is one of only five designated SCOUP receiver sites in Los Angeles County, along with Zuma, Will Rogers, Dockweiler and Manhattan Beach.

That means Redondo Beach could potentially receive suitable sand on an ongoing basis when opportunities arise.

This is different from the Living Shoreline project. The Living Shoreline is a specific large nourishment and dune-restoration project. SCOUP is essentially a long-term mechanism that could make future, smaller sand replenishment projects easier to accomplish.

That distinction matters because beach nourishment is not permanent. Waves and currents continually move sand along the coast. Even after a major replenishment project, maintaining beach width over the long term may require additional sand.

RCSAP: Planning for the entire coastline

The third effort is the Los Angeles County Regional Coastal Strategic Adaptation Plan, or RCSAP.

This is broader than either of the other programs.

The County describes RCSAP as a long-term coastal resilience plan intended to guide future action as beaches face existing erosion and future coastal risks. The plan is intended to identify and prioritize projects, examine funding strategies and develop a regional structure for agencies to work together on coastal resilience.

One particularly important part of RCSAP is a new Shoreline Monitoring Program.

The County is collecting beach and nearshore data from Leo Carrillo State Beach to Torrance Beach. The goal is to create a regional database that can measure seasonal, annual and long-term changes to the coastline, including the effects of storms, El Niño conditions, sea-level rise and projects such as beach nourishment.

The first regional beach survey took place in September 2025, followed by another in April 2026. That information will ultimately feed into an annual shoreline report and help determine which coastal adaptation projects should receive priority.

For Redondo Beach, that could be particularly useful. Instead of relying only on isolated observations about whether the beach appears wider or narrower from year to year, we should have consistent regional data showing what is actually happening to our shoreline.

The County expects the RCSAP process to evaluate potential projects, adaptation opportunities and constraints, funding mechanisms, and even the economic costs and benefits of different coastal-resilience strategies. A third stakeholder workshop is scheduled for November 2026, when the County plans to review its annual shoreline report and a draft RCSAP.

How the three pieces fit together

I think the easiest way to understand the County’s strategy is:

Living Shoreline: A major, specific Redondo Beach project that would add sand and establish dunes.

SCOUP: A mechanism that could allow Redondo Beach to receive compatible sand from other projects more easily in the future.

RCSAP: The regional planning and monitoring program that will help determine where coastal problems are occurring, which projects make sense and how they should be funded.

Together, they represent a significant change in how Los Angeles County is approaching beach management. Instead of responding only after erosion becomes a problem, the County is trying to establish a system for monitoring the coastline, planning improvements regionally and having mechanisms ready to replenish beaches when suitable sand becomes available.

Why this matters for Redondo Beach

Our beach is more than recreational space. It provides habitat, supports our local economy and serves as a buffer protecting public infrastructure along the waterfront.

Sand will always move. Storms will continue to reshape the coastline. No replenishment project permanently fixes that.

But the combination of a major Living Shoreline project, an ongoing mechanism for obtaining additional sand through SCOUP, and regional monitoring through RCSAP gives Redondo Beach more tools to respond to those changes.

There are still many details to work through, particularly the final Living Shoreline design, permitting, funding and construction schedule. I will continue following all three efforts as they develop and will share additional information as it becomes available.

For those who want to dig deeper, Los Angeles County has posted the project studies, presentations, meeting recordings and updates on its Coastal Resilience website.