Santa Cruz Wharf Future Is Uncertain After Partial Collapse

SANTA CRUZ, CA — City leaders gathered Friday on Cowell Beach to update the public four days after a section of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the sea, leaving the future of the iconic pier in question.

Officials said preliminary findings suggested the collapse was the result of a historic swell slamming into an area of the wharf that was battered by storms in previous winters and had been closed for repairs since last December.

"Due to one of the largest swell events that Santa Cruz has experienced in decades, we lost approximately 150 feet at the end of our municipal wharf," said Matt Huffaker, the City Manager. "During this extremely powerful swell...this section of the wharf was just not able to sustain the storm system that we experienced."

Huffaker said three contractors who were working on the wharf when it detached and fell into the water were unharmed. Rescue swimmers brought two of the workers to safety, and the third made it to shore on their own.

Tony Elliot, director of Parks & Recreation, said the $4 million renovation project included replacing 70 pilings by March of next year. He estimated 20 to 30 had been replaced at the time of the collapse.

City leaders said the immediate priority was safely reopening the remaining section of the wharf, which is home to restaurants, shops, and recreational businesses that employ over 400 people and typically see an influx of visitors over the holidays.

"We're working closely with the businesses to make sure they have opportunities to get onto the wharf safely and secure their spaces, make adjustments to restaurants with perishable goods, and make sure their space is safe and secure," Elliot said. "The wharf is an important place, as we all know, it brings in about 2 million visitors per year. During the holidays in particular, this is really important time both for the businesses on the wharf and for our community as well."

Huffaker said the city was exploring avenues to support businesses and employees suffering from the wharf's closure in the short term and the long run. The city did not provide a timeline for reopening and said the first step is having engineers complete a structural integrity assessment, followed by a detailed plan to safely reopen the wharf with a phased approach.

"Our hope is weeks, but we do not have anything definitive," Huffaker said.

Other pressing tasks outlined by the city Friday include recovering heavy equipment from the ocean floor, which could jeopardize the stability of the rest of the wharf as they shift under incoming swells, and addressing a debris field that has reached more than 10 miles south of the wharf.

Elliot also asked residents and visitors who find lost commemorations, memorial benches and other artifacts that were attached to the collapsed wharf to reach out to the Parks & Rec department so they can be recovered.

Looking to the future, city leaders were skeptical the wharf could one day return to its former state.

"I don't think we can speak with any confidence at this point whether rebuilding that section of the wharf is feasible," Huffaker said. "We've got some hard conversations and some hard decisions we're going to have to make."

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley echoed the sentiment, describing the need for an evolving approach amid increasing hazards from a changing climate.

"There have been piers and wharves for thousands and thousands of years — just about the oldest technology you can think of," Keeley said. "This is not the technology that meets the challenges here today, or that are coming our way due to climate change. I think it's a fair question — nobody's made a decision yet — but it would be irresponsible if we didn't ask the question what is the right thing to do here? Do we take 300, 400 feet off of this, pull it back, widen it out, get out of the open ocean...what is it you do? But to say we're simply going to put it back, that I think is much more risky."

Huffaker said the city has been in touch with representatives in Congress to secure as much federal aid as possible, and Cal/OSHA and other state agencies will be involved in evaluating the circumstances that led to the collapse.