Six week closure to install sound dampening panels during pupping season

LA JOLLA – The La Jolla Cove seal viewing platform will close for six weeks beginning next month for what the city’s parks department is calling acoustic remediation, a project intended to reduce ambient noise levels after several marine biologists raised concerns that tourist chatter was disrupting seal pupping season.

The remediation plan

Contractors will install a series of low profile sound dampening panels along the platform railing, designed to absorb a measurable portion of ambient conversation noise without blocking sightlines to the rocks below, according to project manager Adele Fontaine, who briefed reporters near the closed site Tuesday.

Fontaine said the panels were selected after a six month acoustic study found that midday visitor noise levels regularly exceeded thresholds recommended in a 2019 marine mammal disturbance guideline, though she noted the guideline itself carries no legal enforcement mechanism and the project remains voluntary on the city’s part.

Tourism concerns

Local business owners along the cove have expressed mixed reactions to the closure, with several noting that the viewing platform ranks among La Jolla’s most visited attractions and that a six week closure during peak season could measurably affect foot traffic to nearby shops and restaurants.

Fontaine said the city considered scheduling the work during the off season but ultimately concluded that pupping season itself was the period when noise reduction would matter most, even though it meant closing the platform during its busiest weeks.

Alternative viewing options

During the closure, the city says visitors can still observe seals from a secondary, unenhanced overlook roughly two hundred yards south of the main platform, though officials acknowledge the view from that location is considerably less direct.

A temporary signage program will direct visitors to the alternative overlook, and docents from the La Jolla Marine Mammal Care Society will be stationed nearby during peak hours to answer questions and discourage disappointed tourists from attempting to access the closed platform directly.

What happens next

The platform is scheduled to reopen in time for the summer tourist season, with a formal ribbon cutting planned once the acoustic panels are fully installed and tested.

Further background on marine mammal disturbance guidelines is available through the National Marine Fisheries Service and the City of San Diego.

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The acoustic study methodology

Fontaine explained that the six month study involved placing calibrated sound meters at three points along the platform railing, recording ambient noise levels every fifteen minutes throughout the day and cross referencing the data against seal behavior logs kept separately by volunteer monitors from the marine mammal care society.

The resulting report, which runs to nearly sixty pages, found that noise spikes correlated most strongly with large tour groups rather than individual visitors, a finding that informed the city’s decision to focus the acoustic panels on the sections of railing where tour operators most commonly stop.

Tour operator reaction

Several local tour companies that regularly bring groups to the cove said they generally supported the project’s goals but expressed hope that the panels would not meaningfully obstruct photography, since cove visits remain one of the most requested stops on Southern California coastal tour itineraries.

Fontaine said the panels were specifically designed with narrow viewing gaps to preserve sightlines for photography while still providing meaningful sound absorption, a balance she said took several design iterations to achieve during the project’s planning phase.

Community input sessions

Two public input sessions held earlier this year drew a combined attendance of roughly ninety residents and visitors, with feedback collected through both in person comment cards and an online survey the city kept open for six weeks, results the parks department says directly shaped the final panel placement plan.

Cost of the panels

The full acoustic remediation project, including materials, installation labor and the preceding study, carries a total estimated cost of approximately ninety thousand dollars, funded through a combination of city parks budget allocation and a state coastal grant specifically earmarked for marine habitat protection projects along San Diego County’s shoreline.

Fontaine said the grant funding requires the city to submit a follow up report documenting measured noise reduction within one year of project completion, a requirement she said the department fully expects to satisfy given the panels’ tested performance in earlier prototype trials.

The city says a formal reopening date will be announced once final acoustic testing confirms the panels are performing to specification, with updates posted on the parks department’s website in the meantime.

Visitor reaction so far

Tourists visiting the cove ahead of the closure said they were largely unaware of the seal disturbance concerns driving the project, though most said they supported the goal once city staff explained the reasoning during informal conversations near the site this week.

Officials say updates will continue to be posted as the reopening date approaches.

The parks department thanked the marine mammal care society for its ongoing volunteer monitoring work throughout the study period.

A final inspection is scheduled before the platform reopens to the public.

Residents can direct further questions to the parks department’s main office.

Further updates to follow.

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/