Winter storm damages Avila Beach Pier — but ‘it’s holding up for now’
Though much of San Luis Obispo County escaped major damage from the powerful storm that swept across the region Wednesday night, one well-known local structure wasn’t quite so lucky.
Avila Pier lost three pilings in the storm, according to Port San Luis Chief Harbor Patrol Officer Matt Ashton, and sustained some damage to its water line.
All damage to the pier occurred in areas that hadn’t yet been repaired as part of the Avila Rehabilitation Project, Ashton said.
One of the pilings in question could be seen lying in the surf on the north end of the beach Thursday morning, with one end appearing as though the wooden pole had been ripped loose.
A gap could also be seen underneath the pier where the bottom of the piling was still affixed below the waves.
Port San Luis Harbor District Facilities Manager Chris Munson said the pier remains structurally sound without the pilings. In fact, the pier typically loses a few pilings during large storms, he said.
“Overall, it’s holding up for now,” Munson said. “We can lose quite a few piles.”
When the tide recedes, Harbor District staff will retrieve the piling from where it landed on the beach, using heavy equipment such as a backhoe, Munson said.
Munson said he wasn’t sure about the extent of the water line damage as of Thursday morning. A light spray of water could be seen spouting from one side of the structure around 11 a.m.
Other debris washed up onto the beach from Avila Creek too, including one piling from the Harford Pier and damage to the rock revetment bordering the parking lot, Ashton said.
“All in all, we made it out pretty clean I think. We took a lot of preemptive actions before the storm got here and I think that paid off,” Ashton wrote in an email to The Tribune.
The pier has been partially closed for several years as the Port San Luis Harbor District and volunteer group Friends of the Avila Pier attempt to figure out how best to repair the structure. It first closed in 2015 after reports the structure was swaying under the weight of people flocking to look at whales.
Since then, Friends of Avila Pier has been fundraising for needed improvements to the structure, which includes repairing and replacing some pilings and adding new handrails and lighting. Some of that construction was already underway.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 10:49 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to show that the pier lost three pilings during the storm.
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