With more heavy rain predicted this week, there are areas along the San Diego County coastline already struggling with unstable, oversaturated ground.
Trains rattled by Seagrove Park, Sunday, as families enjoyed views of the Pacific Ocean and the beach below. All of the activity perched on a 1.7 mile stretch of the Del Mar Bluffs.
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t let them near the cliffs,” said Aaron Selfridge as he sat on a bench with his two children, Amelia, 4, and Robert, 2. He is one of the many parents who brought their families to the playground not far from where an excavating tractor was parked for the long holiday weekend.
“I just want them to be able to get out and enjoy the natural world we live in. To go to the beach and enjoy the clean air,” Selfridge said. The Del Mar father said he is aware of the potential erosion problem and nature’s force compounded by trains loosening the ground they walk on.
M.G. PerezM.G. Perez
Families enjoyed the playground at Seagrove Park, Sunday, situated on the Del Mar Bluffs above the beach below, Del Mar, Calif., February 15, 2026.
We already have a lot of water stored in the ground from our earlier heavy rainfall interval. So, (this week) we’re adding water in the ground which increases its weight and pushes you ever closer towards failure.
Patrick Abbott, Ph.D., geology expert
“Heavy rains are not good news for any area under construction,” Patrick Abbott, Ph.D., told NBC 7. He is an expert in geology with decades of experience and research in how the ground moves.
“We already have a lot of water stored in the ground from our earlier heavy rainfall interval. So, (this week) we’re adding water to water in the ground which increases its weight and pushes you ever closer towards failure,” Abbott said.
Since 2024, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has led an $88-million short term stabilization project to reinforce the bluffs and install retaining walls and make drainage improvements. It is scheduled to be completed sometime next year.
A long term solution that would relocate the train tracks off the coast is still years away. It requires environmental impact studies and continued funding from the federal and state governments.
M.G. PerezM.G. Perez
A SANDAG sign warns pedestrians of construction work on the train tracks near Seagrove Park, Del Mar, Calif., February 15, 2026.
“Even though it’s controversial in the political realm, in the scientific realm there is not controversy whatsoever,” Abbott said. “Sea levels are rising and every year and decade that passes it gets to be more difficult to move the inevitable.”