Sand barges in the Carribean waters, Grenadines. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
The 2016 Water Resources Development Act, signed by US President Barack Obama last month, approved studies to be carried out to determine the feasibility of transporting sand from other countries and territories around the world to coastal cities in America that have been affected by erosion in recent years.
The Bahamas was named among the potential sources for sand.
“We are basically at sea-level. If we venture down this road, 80 per cent of our islands will be under water by the end of the century…”
Read Full Article, Tribune 242 (01-04-2017)
Bahamian sand considered for replenishing eroded Florida beaches; The Nassau Guardian (01-03-2017)
The US is looking at Bahamian sand as a resource to shore-up Florida’s eroding coastline, an Associated Press (AP) story revealed. The story explained that the Water Resources Development Act recently authorized the Army Corps of Engineers “to study the potential of using foreign sand, such as from The Bahamas, to widen shorelines and protect coasts from hurricanes”.
U.S. has OK to study bringing Bahamas sand to Florida beaches; (01-03-2017)
The 2016 Water Resources Development Act authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to study the potential of using foreign sand, such as from the Bahamas, to widen shorelines and protect coasts from hurricanes.
“The Secretary (of the Army) is authorized to undertake a study of the economic and noneconomic costs, benefits and impacts of acquiring by purchase, exchange or otherwise sediment from domestic and nondomestic sources for shoreline protection,” the provision states. “Upon completion of the study, the Secretary shall report to Congress on the availability, benefits and impacts of using domestic and nondomestic sources of sediment for shoreline protection,” it reads…
Shrinking Shores: Florida sand shortage leaves beaches in lurch, The Naples Daily News (11-17-2016)
Beaches are built one truckload at a time as the main ingredient in the State’s beach renourishemnt program – offshore sand – gets harder to find…
Sand’s end, The Verge (11-17-2016)
Miami Beach has run out of sand. Now what?…
No downside to Bahamas developing sand exports; The Nassau Guardian (08-30-2013)
In Miami, Worries About Cuba Include Grains of Sand; Miami Herald (07-24-2015)
The Beach Boondoggle; Op Ed by Robert Young, The New York Times (10-12-2016)
Coastal geologist criticizes beach renourishment efforts; By Robert S. Young, PhD; The State (08-17-2016)
Rob Young, who heads the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, said the government is subsidizing coastal development with renourishment money – and that’s costing taxpayers. Communities across the country have spent millions of dollars renourishing beaches. Those efforts encourage people to rebuild after every major hurricane…
Is Beach Renourishment Worth The Money? WWAY News (02-16-2015)
Beach replenishment may have far reaching impacts on ecosystems;” Phys.Org (03-29-2016)
UC San Diego biologists who examined the biological impact of replenishing eroded beaches with offshore sand found that such beach replenishment efforts could have long-term negative impacts on coastal ecosystems…
Economy Winner, Environment Loser in Renourishment; Pensacola News Journal (12-02-2015)
Piling sand to stop erosion ultimately made the land sink, study says, NOLA (12-26-2015)
Where Sand Is Gold, the Reserves Are Running Dry, The New York Times (08-26-2013)
The Conservation Crisis No One Is Talking About, TakePart (09-21-2016)
Beaches around the world are disappearing. No, the cause isn’t sea-level rise, at least not this time. It’s a little-known but enormous industry called sand mining, which every year sucks up billions of tons of sand from beaches, ocean floors, and rivers to make everything from concrete to microchips to toothpaste…
Sand, Rarer Than One Thinks: A UNEP report (GEA-March 2014)
Despite the colossal quantities of sand and gravel being used, our increasing dependence on them and the significant impact that their extraction has on the environment, this issue has been mostly ignored by policy makers and remains largely unknown by the general public.
In March 2014 The United Nations released its first Report about sand mining. “Sand Wars” film documentary by Denis Delestrac – first broadcasted on the european Arte Channel, May 28th, 2013, where it became the highest rated documentary for 2013 – expressly inspired the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to publish this 2014-Global Environmental Alert.
Sand Wars, An Investigation Documentary, By Mutlti-Awards Winner Filmmaker Denis Delestrac (©-2013)
