shore area is relatively little developed except at its eastern extremity 

 and at the private Malibu Beach Colony. Zuma Beach, owned by the State, 

 is being developed for operation as a County park. Offshore the narrow 

 continental shelf is dissected by Dume Canyon. Most of the shore of this 

 area has been reasonably stable during historic time. 



b. Santa Monica Canyon to Malaga Cove S This portion of the coast 

 comprised about 16 miles of the shore of Santa Monica Bay gently curving 

 from a northwest-southeast direction at the upccast end to a north-south 

 direction at the Malaga Cove end. The coastal plain is generally a plateau 

 elevated considerably above sea level and terminating generally at the 



shore in bluffs of alluvial material. The piincipal drainage is by Ballona 

 Creek through a valley about 2 miles wide at the shore, which is separated 

 from the ocean by a barrier beach, except for a narrow flood channel pro- 

 tected by jetties. South of Ballona Creek the bluff is a dune formation 

 known as the El Segundo Sand Hills. The coastal drainage contributes little 

 or no beach material to the shore. In its natural state the beaches in this 

 section were relatively wide and uniform. Offshore the continental shelf 

 slopes uniformly seaward to a depth of 50 fathoms over a distance from shore 

 of 6 to 10 miles, beyond which the ocean floor slopes steeply to interisland 

 basins 500 to 1,000 fathoms deep. The Redondo C t ?nyon cuts deeply into the 

 continental shelf, the 50-fathom contour approaching to a point about 3,000 

 feet off Redondo Beach. An offshore breakwater at'Sant a Monica and an 

 attached curved breakwater forming Redondo Beach Harbor are the principal 

 structures affecting the shore line. Each has interrupted downcoast 

 littoral drift causing accretion on the upcoast side and erosion downcoast. 

 Other structures affecting the shore less acutely are the Venice breakwater, 

 Ballona Creek Jetties, the El Segundo groin and the large piling clusters 

 of piers. Beaches between the Santa Monica breakwater and El Segundo were 

 restored or widened by artificial deposit of sand on several occasions, 

 the principal one being the placement of about lit, 000, 000 cubic yards of 

 sand in 19U7-U8. Beaches in the section are at present in relatively 

 good condition except for a short stretch south of Redondo Beach Harbor 

 where no beach exists in front of the stone seawall, but no protective measures 

 have been provided to stabilize the restored beaches. The coastal area is 

 extensively developed for residential and recreational use. An oil field 

 is being exploited on the barrier beach and low inland area at Ballona 

 Creek. A number of city and county public beaches are operated in this 

 section. 



c. Palos Verdes Hills - Malaga Cove to San Pedro Breakwater - 

 This portion comprised the remaining 16 miles of the study area. The shore 

 line is rugged and rocky -with cliffs 100 to 300 feet high. A few sandy 

 beaches exist between the rocky prominences. Because of its inaccessibility 

 the immediate shore area is almost undeveloped. The high inland areas are 

 used for residential and agricultural purposes. Offshore, the continental 

 shelf is comparatively narrow, the 50-fathom contour lying from about 1 to h 

 miles from the shore. At the root of the S a n Pedro Breakwater at the south 

 limit of the study area, Cabrillo Beach has been developed by the city of Los 

 Angeles. The beach itself was built almost entirely by the artificial deposit 



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