The United States Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for investigating, developing, and maintaining the nation’s water and related environmental resources for navigational purposes. This is done by building coastal fortification, surveying roads and canals, and eliminating navigational hazards. Based on these tasks, USACE also oversees beach nourishment projects and evaluates all construction permits in the nation’s waters, including wetlands. Every few years, congress reauthorizes the Water Resources Development Act, which commissions the USACE to assist with beach nourishment projects. This assistance includes an investigation of the erosion problem, design of the project, placement of sand on the beach and periodic re-nourishment throughout the duration of the commitment. USACE views beach nourishment, as well as hardened structures and required setbacks, as a solution to reduce the impacts of storms and long-term erosion. Federal interest in beach nourishment, in general, is proven by the Shore Protection Act of 1996, which emphasizes these responsibilities of the USACE. The federal share of replenishment funding is typically 65% (state and local governments fund the remaining share). There was an unsuccessful attempt to pass legislation in 1999 which would have limited this percentage to 35%. It is also worth noting that the budget was between $100-130 million annually in the 2000s, but the Bush administration did not allow for this to increase.
|
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has a mission to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. In order to conserve and protect habitats, beach nourishment projects must first conduct environmental assessments ordained by Endangered Species Act (ESA). It is known that beach nourishment will affect migratory birds, nesting sea turtles, and coastal invertebrates such as crabs and coquinas. These coastal invertebrates are critical food sources for many other marine animals as well. The USFWS, together with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), provides consultation to avoid, minimize and mitigate the negative impacts of a massive project such as beach nourishment. They also conduct monitoring during the pre-project assessment, construction activities and post-project period with multi-year data collection. This applies to all federal actions through the issuance of federal funding, permits, licenses or other actions.
|
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), formerly known as NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is the state agency for the protection of North Carolina's environmental resources. Therefore, NC DEQ is required to coordinate with federal agencies and units of local government in the planning and development of shoreline preservation projects. In order to conduct beach nourishment, especially in an Area of Environmental Concern (AEC), the project must apply for a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) permit through DEQ. Beach nourishment can be conducted only if erosion threatens to damage public beaches and private properties, public infrastructure or the regional economy. The project must be determined to be socially and economically feasible with no adverse environmental impacts. It must also be consistent with state policies for shoreline erosion response and state use standard for an AEC. The project will be conducted within budgetary constraints, co-shared between federal, state and the affected local governments. Another solution to combat erosion such as sandbag revetment deemed as a temporary solution and other kinds of hardened structure are prohibited, only permitted under certain circumstances such as protection of historic sites or vital infrastructures which important for the public interest.
Marine Fisheries Commission The Marine Fisheries Commission is a council within the Division of Marine Fisheries - a department of the DEQ. They find that in general, beach dredging and fill activities pose significant threats to marine and estuarine resources. Most beach nourishment projects provide general data about sand procurement and movement, economics, and environmental considerations related to endangered species. However, they rarely take into account potential damage to fisheries' resources. The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) have identified several affected species' habitats under federal, interstate and state management. Therefore, the commission comes up with policies for large-scale beach nourishment projects, such as detailed analyses of possible impacts to Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) and Critical Habitat Areas (CHA). These policies require the projects to provide alternatives over short and long term periods to minimize the impacts, as well as the effects on adjacent beach environments in North Carolina or neighboring states. |
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) is responsible for maintaining approximately 80,000 miles of roadways and 18,000 bridges across North Carolina. The NC DOT proposed a beach nourishment project in order to rebuild eroded beaches along the Outer Banks to protect a section of NC Highway 12 (NC 12). The Corps of Engineers administered the contract for the NC DOT. Despite the temporary solution, NCDOT has a long-term goal to build a two-mile, lifted bridge to raise NC 12 above the surging ocean. NC 12 is the lifeline which connects Hatteras Island to the mainland of North Carolina. Storms often cause the ocean to over-wash the road, causing damage and interrupting access to the island. The proposed beach nourishment project was implemented to keep the transportation system with as little interruption as possible to the traffic service. This purpose is akin to the NC DEQ reasons for doing beach nourishment- to mitigate storm threats to public infrastructure.
|
"The primary thrust behind the federal government's interest in nourishing beaches is reducing coastal storm damages, but they also take into consideration public ownership of land adjacent to the beach, public access, and the recreational and environmental value of the beach."
Joan Pope, Civil Works Program Director for the U.S. Army Core of Engineers'
Engineering Research and Development Center