HEISLER PARK IS NOW OPEN!
Heisler Park underwent a major renovation last winter. The blufftops along the rim of the park were stabilized, the drainage and irrigation systems were overhauled, both restroom facilities were rebuilt and new stairs were constructed to Rockpile Beach.
This project was designed to showcase the latest in environmentally friendly design, particularly with regard to drainage. All storm and "nuisance" water draining from the park in the renovated areas are routed away from the blufftops and through various types of natural filters before entering the storm drain. Nuisance flows entering the storm drain for the Picnic Beach area are diverted to the sewer rather than to the beach. Fisherman's Cove will receive a new diversion unit as well.
Construction started on September 4, 2007 and the closed areas were reopened on July 2, 2008. The construction was divided between two projects - Phase I and Phase II.
Phase I
Phase I was partially funded by a grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board through the Integrated Regional Water Management grant program. The project is included in the South Orange County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The total cost for this portion of the renovation is $1,616,000. Phase I includes the following construction activities:
- Installation of a smart irrigation control system. Repair and replace irrigation distribution lines as necessary including water efficient spray heads. Installation of a new water meter.
- Complete bluff-top landscape grading. Re-grade bluff top areas at targeted locations to create swale areas to infiltrate runoff and limit sheet flow over the bluff top.
- Complete surface drain and pathway improvements. Improve the configuration of surface drain inlets and pathway grades so they slope away from the bluff into grassy or landscape areas. The pathway will include a curb or grade break to limit surface runoff from the pathway over the bluff face. Consider installation of inlet filters at high volume surface inlets.
- Construct coastal bluff stabilization and install public beach access stairs. Construct an extension of the existing retaining wall. This improvement will mitigate excess bluff sloughing that may harm the marine environment and is creating an unsafe condition by undermining the bluff and beach access stairs. Remove the existing beach access stairway. Install a new stairway south of the new retaining wall.
- Install an urban runoff diversion system in the Fisherman’s and Diver’s Cove storm drain line. Install a groundwater collection system and improve the park storm drain lines to accept excess ground water flow that currently seeps through the cliff face to the beach. In addition, extend the storm drain lines that now discharge at the top of the cliff face, down the cliff to the beach.
- Implement the traffic control plan, SWPPP plan and CEQA monitoring plan mitigating measures.
Phase II
Phase I was partially funded by a grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board through the Clean Beaches Initiative grant program. The total cost for this portion of the renovation is $2,200,000. Phase II includes the following construction activities:
- Installation of a smart irrigation control system. Repair and replace irrigation distribution lines as necessary including water efficient spray heads. Installation of new water meters.
- Complete site drainage improvements. Re-grade bluff top areas at targeted locations to create swale areas to infiltrate runoff and limit sheet flow over the bluff top.
- Complete surface drain and pathway improvements. Improve the configuration of surface drain inlets and pathway grades so they slope away from the bluff into grassy or landscape areas. The pathway will include a curb or grade break to eliminate surface runoff from the pathway over the bluff face. Installation of inlet filters at high volume surface inlets.
- Construct coastal bluff stabilization. Construct an extension of the existing retaining structure.
- Construct two new restrooms per design plans.
- Install a groundwater collection system and improve the park storm drain lines to accept excess ground water flow that currently seeps through the cliff face to the beach. In addition, extend the storm drain lines that now discharge at the top of the cliff face, down the cliff to the beach.
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