Doheny campground upgrades would accompany desal project construction
Brothers Joel and Aaron Krempasky were hanging out at their beachfront campsite in Dana Point on a recent day, feet in the sand, a quick getaway at one of the most in-demand campgrounds in the State Parks system.
“I don’t know of another spot like this,” said Joel Krempasky of the location right at the sand of Doheny State Beach. “It’s unique to all of Southern California, that’s why we love it.”
Lucky campers who score spots here in the next year should enjoy it while they can - travelers will likely have to look elsewhere for two years while the coveted beachside campgrounds undergo renovations.
This week, community members got a look at the “climate resilience and modernization” project planned for the campgrounds during a workshop at the nearby Dana Point Harbor.
The upgrades would be in conjunction with installations needed for the South Coast Water District’s Doheny Ocean Desalination Project, planned just inland up the adjacent San Juan Creek.
Slant wells are needed from Doheny State Beach to go into the ocean to draw water for the desal project, work that would require closure of the campground between 2027 and 2029. So officials decided it would be an opportune time to work on the improvements needed at the campgrounds.
During the closure, State Parks and SCWD would make improvements to the campground, including creating larger campsites, adding new utility hookups, improving pedestrian and bicycle access, and updating the interpretive area, landscaping and restrooms. The campground’s elevation would also be raised and drainage improved to better protect against coastal flooding and sea level rise.
Decisions are still being made for the desalination project, so the campground will remain open through at least the end of 2026 and likely through early 2027, said Riley Pratt, State Parks senior environmental scientist.
The purpose of the recent meeting was to get public input on preliminary designs that include a drop from 122 to 100 campsites.
There are plans for 26 new tent-only, lower-cost camping areas on the south side of the 10-acre site. The remainder of the RV sites to the north would have full electrical hookups. Currently, many campers use generators for larger vehicle setups, which can be noisy during the night for nearby tent campers.
Pratt called the 60-acre Doheny State Beach a “beloved space” that draws an estimated 1 million people each year - the campground is full most nights of the year. Spots are gobbled up within minutes of going online for reservations, with the beachfront spots among the hardest to nab in the State Park’s system.
“Despite how popular this campground is, it has a lot of challenges,” Pratt said, noting that some infrastructure dates back to the 1940s.
Back when the general plan was created in 2004, there wasn’t even any mention of climate resilience - the effects of sea level rise and eroding beaches had not yet taken hold.
But in recent years, the impacts have been apparent. Last year, the city worked with consultants from Moffatt & Nichol to do a vulnerability study to determine the risks to the campgrounds from sea level rise.
Like other areas of the South County coast, the beach there is shrinking. And when a high tide and big swell hit, it can spell trouble as the ocean overtops the sand into the campsites.
“That can ruin a vacation,” Pratt said.
And when a big rainstorm hits, there are issues with flooding because the campsite is set in a bowl shape that pools water.
Key takeaways and recommendations from the city’s study included a need to raise the campground elevation about 4 feet and set back the sites inland, further away from the threat of the ocean. Crews also need to recontour how water moves into storm drains and off site.
The desalination project has already gained California Coastal Commission approvals and is awaiting a 60% design concept to be completed in the next month, with an all-in price estimate given, said Rick Shintaku, general manager of South Coast Water District.
At that point, SCWD will decide if the cost of the project makes sense to move forward.
“It’s an exciting time for us, we are at a key point,” Shintaku said.
He called the project a “win-win” that would address long-awaited upgrades to the State Park with work that can be done in conjunction with the desalination project, so the campground would only be closed once.
If the desalination project moves forward, work in the North Day Use area of Doheny State Beach could get underway by October, and the design, construction and performance testing of the system would happen in the coming years, with the desal operation online by 2030.
The project dates back to 2004, when the Municipal Water District of Orange County explored ideas for desalination. South Coast Water District, based in Laguna Beach, took over the project in 2015.
The Doheny project, when completed, would produce 5 million gallons per day of drinking water as part of SCWD’s Integrated Water Resources Plan, aimed at diversifying and securing water resources, particularly during critical need periods such as drought and natural disasters.
Using pipelines buried under the ocean floor is the preferred method because it would have little impact on marine life. Brine, the saltwater left over from the desalination process, would be mixed with treated wastewater in an existing outfall pipe and discharged a couple of miles out in the ocean.
Retired State Parks ranger Jim Serpa showed up to the recent workshop to see the plans, recalling when the campgrounds flooded in 2004, the first time in 50 years.
“It was that deep,” he said, showing how water went up to his knees.
Since then, flooding has been a regular occurrence, causing campers to cancel or suffer through messy conditions.
“It’s always in danger of flooding,” Serpa said. “In the last 15 to 20 years, they had to build the berm up, and you can’t really see the ocean.”
He also said there are some “terrible” sites that are no bigger than a VW bus could make way for larger sites.
“I think there’s too many sites in that amount of space right now,” he said of the proposal to reduce the total number.
“There’s good and bad,” he said of the changes, not fond of plans to get rid of the Campfire Center.
The upgrades are just another way the area is improving, with the nearby Dana Point Harbor going through a major upgrade and other nearby developments, said Joel Krempasky. Even if the campgrounds are closed for an extended period, it will be worth the wait.
“I think anything is going to take time to make it better,” he said. “I’m actually for it.”
While it will be a bummer not having the sites to camp in for a while, Aaron Krempasky said he’s excited about the new and improved version they can enjoy for years to come.
“Ultimately, it’s about the kids, and the kids will have a spot to hang out,” he said. “It’s one thing to close it down and do something different, but I’m stoked to hear it’s going to still be a campground so we can enjoy it for years to come.”
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:56 AM.