Stripped of sand, decades-old infrastructure 'relics' pop up at the Wedge in Newport Beach

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Set us as preferred A series of powerful hurricane-driven swells have surfaced forgotten remnants of Newport Beach’s infrastructure that lay buried beneath sand and water for many decades.Videos and photos circulating on social media show piles of rocks, chunks of concrete and rusted metal rods after waves removed layers of sand along the shoreline.Much of the erosion has occurred near the west jetty where the popular surfing spot the Wedge is located.“We’re aware of the sand erosion and the different relics getting exposed down there,” said Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda.Decades ago, he said, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers built a pair of jetties to stop beach erosion and protect oceanfront homes near the entrance of Newport Harbor.“A lot of sand has been carved away, uncovering things that haven’t seen the light of day in decades,” Yacenda said.

“There are PVC pipes, wires and a railway tie underneath the water and occasionally some metal.”The storm swells come amid a growing El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by warming ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, as well as increased rainfall.The 2015-16 El Niño pattern was blamed for record beach erosion along California’s coast.At least three hurricanes have developed in the central and eastern Pacific since July, including Hurricanes Fausto and Genevieve, which generated life-threatening waves, strong rip currents and high surf warnings for Southern California.Earlier this month, Los Angeles County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors announced the closure of Point Dume State Beach after high tides and surf caused extreme erosion, leaving the bluff edge unstable, with drop-offs of up to 8 feet in some areas.In Carlsbad, strong surf and high tides stripped away much of the sand and damaged a parking lot at...