We’re spending a lot of money to keep rich people’s beach front property maintained and insured. There are some justifications made to continue it, such as preservation of expensive infrastructure, and maintaining beach habitat for species under threat.
How about this idea? If chic shoreline communities want this to continue, how about mandating a percentage of the protected structures be converted to low income housing? Just a thought.
The barrier islands keep moving, which we foolish humans label “beach erosion.” We keep trying to bend nature to our will by trucking in lots of sand from somewhere else for millions of dollars.
The people who pay for it often don’t live anywhere near the water. Ever wonder where your tax dollars go? Like college kids on spring break, lots of them go to the beach — even if you don’t. “3,600 truckloads of sand: How Hillsboro Beach plans to beef up its eroded beach,” the South Florida Sun Sentinel said recently about one $5 million project.
“In fight against erosion, Pass-a-Grille Beach will get a multimillion-dollar influx of sand,” the Tampa Bay Business Journal announced.
Meanwhile, WJXT-TV reported, “Army Corps of Engineers launches 16-week renourishment project for Duval County beaches.” The cost of that project, which will dump new sand on 10 miles of beaches: $32 million.
The Corps, the government agency in charge of playing in such big sandboxes, always claims they’re “saving” the beach from disappearing. They aren’t, says Orrin Pilkey, a Duke University geology professor who’s an expert on beaches and barrier islands.
“We’re just saving a lot of people’s investments,” he told me.
It’s not cheap, either — especially these days, when our elected leaders keep calling in the Army to recreate a beach that just washed away.
“Treasure Coast governments have spent well over $100 million during the last five years on beach-renourishment work along our shorelines,” TCPalm.com noted in one editorial.
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This TV report from Jacksonville mentions the importance of beach habitat to species under pressure.
“They’ve forecasted a very active hurricane season ahead of us. The start of this effort really could not be more timely,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said. “This is a big deal for us here in Jacksonville, and we need to always make sure that we’re protecting our beaches.”
This is the first major renourishment project for Duval County beaches since 2017 and the $32 million for the project is 100% federally funded.
Crews have already brought in some of the heavy machinery they will use to bring in sand from offshore to fill in weak spots along the coast and build up dunes.
The goal is to restore what the Army Corps of Engineers calls critically eroded beaches that have taken a pounding from tropical storms in recent years.
“There’s a lot of different things that drive the timing of construction projects, particularly renourishment projects. One of the major drivers is nesting seasons for critically endangered species,” said Col. James Booth with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “When you look at after our projects are done, you’ve got a beach that’s more conducive for nesting, generally broader and wider.”
Some viewers asked about how the turtles currently nesting might be affected. Deegan said the Turtle Patrol told her they have a plan in place.
“Normally, they’re not supposed to move the nests. They want that to be a more natural process,” Deegan said. “But during this process, they will be able to move certain nests into places that will be safer.”
A representative from the Army Corps of Engineers said they work closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local Turtle Patrol groups to designate areas where nests can be relocated safely, and they also monitor for shore birds.
I am inclined to agree with Andrew Coburn of Western Carolina University. The erosion of the barrier islands in NC is inexorable. Policy should shift to an orderly retreat from development on these barrier islands. No public funding to subsidize wealthy vacation home owners unless there is clear evidence that the project will have benefits lasting 50 years. And of course, no project will meet that criterion. The NY example may have a better chance of helping to protect built communities. But I wouldn’t count on it.
“This is a necessary program that has to be done in coastal communities for survival as well as safety.”
Nuh-uh, honey. If you want survival and safety, you dump a whole lot of riprap along the coast instead of pumping transient sand every year or every other year. You just want other people to shore up your property value. (Local pols aren’t going to object to federal money spent on this, especially as it protects their local tax base.)
Beaches naturally move in and out from the shoreline. The greatest threat to beach wildlife habitat is, of course, humans. Of course they know to protect the sea turtles, but don’t let them ever pretend that recurrent beach building is done for the wildlife.