Beach Nourishment: A Critical Look – Gary Griggs | Journal of Coastal Research
![An aerial view of the Virginia Beach Hurricane Protection and Renourishment project. which replenished 1.25 million cubic yards of sand, increasing the beach from 150 and 280 feet wide to as much as 300 feet (Courtesy of the Norfolk District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/9022723593_f0ad24ace6_k-798x532.jpg)
More than $15 billion, mostly federal dollars, have been spent moving sand to the shoreline for both recreational and shoreline protection benefits. Still, whether in New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Florida, or California, the life span of the sand added artificially to these beaches in many cases has been relatively short and in some instances has been less than a year…
Sand Dollars – CBS News Investigations
![A 2015 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project on Long Beach Island, NJ pumped more than 8 million cubic yards of offshore sand onto the beach to create a dune and berm system designed to reduce storm damages (Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain, via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/25021680342_d0ed70f100_k-798x532.jpg)
Federal agencies spend millions every year replacing sand on beaches. Some experts say it’s a waste of tax money….
A Hidden Threat – the Washington Times
![Exposed septic tank of collapsed house in Rodanthe on evening of February 9, 2022 (Courtesy of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, public domain, via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/51873769729_0b4c9ad598_k-798x599.jpg)
Fast-rising seas could swamp septic systems in parts of the South…
Why Oak Island is looking 18 miles off its coast for sand to nourish its eroded beach – Wilmington StarNews Online
![Eroded: Oak Island Beach in Oak Island, North Carolina in 2019 (by Gerry Dincher, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/33087385548_35df372e64_c-798x599.jpg)
Faced with an eroding beach, Oak Island wants to pump fresh sand onto its oceanfront. But finding a viable sand source might mean going a long way offshore…
Study says buyout of threatened Outer Banks homes would be cheaper than beach nourishment – Star News Online
![South breach area on NC 12 above Rodanthe (courtesy of NCDOT)NCDOTcommunications CC BY 2.0 via](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/6100785965_9b7c8b194c_o-798x535.jpg)
Along coastal North Carolina, engineering answers to threats from Mother Nature is a time-honored tradition to dealing with eroding beaches and threats from wandering inlets. But pumping sand isn’t cheap….Faced with a future of rising seas and stronger storms intensified by climate change, state and local officials are scrambling to keep up.(And) one option occupies a relatively rare seat at the table for discussion by local officials and residents: moving oceanfront structures out of harms way…
Buying out threatened oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea – Coastal Review
![Collapsed house in Rodanthe on evening of Feb. 9, 2022 (courtesy National Park Service, public domain via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/51873769729_0b4c9ad598_k-798x599.jpg)
The oceanfront shoreline of Rodanthe has one of the highest erosion rates on the U.S. East Coast (recently upwards of 20 feet per year). Many homes that were initially constructed well back from the beach are now at risk of constant flooding and imminent collapse. A typical response to this erosion in Dare County (and most coastal communities) would be the implementation of a beach nourishment project. It is unclear whether this is practical for Rodanthe, as the geologic setting is problematic…
Retreat in Rodanthe Interactive Feature – the Washington Post
![Rodanthe Homes (by Rick Rowland CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/4145611070_e58aa74de2_c.jpg)
Along three blocks in a North Carolina beach town, severe erosion is upending life, forcing hard choices and offering a glimpse of the dilemmas other coastal communities will face…
Early last year, a house crumbled into the sea in this small Outer Banks community, home to some of the most rapid rates of erosion and sea level rise on the East Coast.
Not long after, another house fell. And then another…
‘It’s reaching a crisis point’: Outer Banks leaders say they’re out of funding to save threatened beach communities – WRAL News
![Beach Erosion at the Outer Banks of North Carolina (by Soil Science CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/5097843948_4ae87b225d_c-798x599.jpg)
Dare County leaders said communities are at risk from coastal erosion, but state law is holding them back from finding potential solutions.
Dare County leaders said they can no longer afford to build back beaches in the Outer Banks that have been swallowed by the ocean, sending multiple houses collapsing in recent years…
North Topsail is getting millions for beach nourishment. How long will the sand last? – Star News Online
![Unspoiled Beach of North Topsail Island, 2018 (by Michael Au CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/40769491415_586f8b1e14_c-798x499.jpg)
Last month North Carolina doled out nearly $20 million in grants to help coastal communities better fortify and rebuild beach infrastructure battered by recent hurricanes, tropical storms, and nor’easters.
But in a world where climate change is bringing higher seas and more frequent and ferocious storms to our shores, is investing taxpayer dollars in the sand that’s all but guaranteed to have a limited lifespan on the beach a smart investment?