Manhattan Beach: What's That Tractor On The Beach Doing?

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — A walk on a cloudy cool morning when rainfall was said to be headed to Manhattan Beach revealed a tractor doing something on the beach near the waterline where Bruce's Beach would be if you ventured a block or two inland.

It didn't move much, instead opting to do small perimeter swings and a repetitive back and forth in the sand backward toward the ocean, then frontward toward a small sand berm of sorts.

So what was going on? "The equipment operator was opening up the storm drains in anticipation of the rain," Nicole Mooradian, public information officer, Community and Marketing Services Division, County of Los Angeles, Department of Beaches and Harbors. "Basically, [the equipment is] clearing the sand from the drain opening and creating a path for any water to reach the ocean."