City of Capitola looking into rehabilitation project for features on city beach

Capitola city leaders are hoping a grant comes through which would allow them to rehabilitate the jetty and flume portions of Capitola Beach.

Public Works Director, Steve Jesberg says the jetty helps to retain sand during the winter months while the flume allows the city to regrade the beach right before summer rolls around.

“I mean they’re not going to fall apart tomorrow but you can definitely see some deterioration, especially over on the jetty,” says Jesberg. “Rocks have disappeared, meanwhile the concrete beam going down the middle of it is becoming more visible each year.”

Windy conditions have produced waves strong enough to pull sand off the shore of Capitola Beach, leading to many of the concerns the city has about its shortening.

If untouched, city leaders believe the beach would shorten not only because of the strong waves but also the expected rising sea level. Jesberg says these issues could pop up within 10 years or so.

The Jetty and Flume Rehabilitation project would allow the city the 1-2 punch necessary to regrade the beach more effectively.

Rehabilitation of those features has not been done for quite a while, either.

“The flume has been there for over 50 years with likely no major maintenance done on it in that time,” says Jesberg.

The grant for the project is worth $800,000, with the overall project estimated to be in the $1 million range.

But that’s not all the city is trying to patch up over the course of the next few years.

The city also plans on doing some work over at the wharf which could cost anywhere from $5 million to $10 million.

For now Capitola city leaders are focusing on the jetty and flume features.