Avila Beach Remediation Project

A plume of hydrocarbons was discovered beneath the town of Avila Beach, California in the mid 80's. An agreement was reached between Unocal, which had operated a marine oil terminal, tank farm, and underground pipeline in the town, various regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders for the removal of affected soils. Removal was completed by excavating much of the beachfront portion of the town and part of the beach itself, replacing with clean sand, and facilitating the reconstruction of the town. The excavation required the demolition of the existing Avila Beach seawall and the demolition of a section of the Municipal Pier. Both were reconstructed in conjunction with completion of the remediation. The design work involved extensive coastal as well as structural engineering. All of the restoration work, including preservation of the historic buildings, was accomplished within the guidelines of a newly developed community plan designed to preserve the character of Avila Beach.