ESTC 2011 Presentation by Scott Liggett, Beach Renourishment

This presentation was presented at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011), held in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, from September 19th-21st. Organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the

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BEACH RENOURISHMENT & MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Scott P. Liggett, P.E.ScottL@hiltonheadislandsc.gov

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism ConferenceSeptember 19-21, 2011 – Hilton Head Island, SC

Presentation Overview

• Town’s Beach Management Program– Overview– Project History– Funding– Port Royal Sound Shoreline Restoration and

Stabilization Project

Town of Hilton Head Island, SC

54 square miles

13 miles of beach

Population – 40,000 (approx.)

Visitors 2,235,000 annually

56 miles of pathways

Incorporated in 1983

Approximately 1200 acres of Town Property – 144 Parcels

8 beach access parks

Island’s Sandy Shorelines

Port Royal Sound (Beach and Inlet Processes)

Atlantic Coast (Beach Processes)

South Beach (Beach and Inlet Processes)

Early Planning

• Incorporated Town immediately identified the need for a beach management strategy

• 1986 - Shore Protection Task Group was created

• Semi-annual beach monitoring initiated

Mid-1980 Beach Conditions/Issues

• Areas of Highly Erosional Shoreline

• Chronic Sediment Deficit (northern 2/3)

• Need for Comprehensive Protection of Upland

• Minimal Dry Beach (over 9,000 feet of oceanfront armoring)

• Potential impacts from Port Royal Sound Federal Navigation Project

Typical Pre-Project Conditions - North Forest Beach

Typical Pre-Project Conditions - The Folly

(1995)

Typical Pre-Project Conditions – Port Royal Sound

1995

Alternatives for Long-Term Strategy (1986)

• No Action

• Encourage Individuals to Protect Themselves (walls, limited sand placement, etc.)

• Restore and Maintain Entire Beach System with Comprehensive Approach

(Initial Program Philosophy)

Program Foundation• Comprehensive Beach Restoration

• Comprehensive Beach Monitoring

• Strategic use of shore-stabilizing structures to improve performance/increase longevity of beach nourishment

• Use of near-island sand sources, as available

• Attempt to control seaward advancement of development and protect beach/dune resources

Benefits of Comprehensive Beach Management Program

• Recreational – Provides/maintains recreational amenity for tourists and residents

• Storm/Erosion Protection – Provides/maintains buffer between ocean and upland

• Environmental – Maintain beach habitat for turtles, birds, etc.

• FEMA Benefits - Increase in “open space”

Beach Monitoring

Island-wide Beach Monitoring Program• 51 Beach Monitoring Stations (32 original)

• Semi-annual survey data dating back to 1986

• Annual Aerial Photography

Overall Beach Conditions• Shoreline Position Change Rates• Beach volume status/change rates

Comprehensive Project Planning

Hilton Head IslandBeach Monitoring Stations

August 20, 2008

Hilton Head IslandBeach Fill Project History

1990 - Initial Restoration of Atlantic Shorefront

1997 - Renourishment of Atlantic Shorefront - Channel Relocation (Port Royal Plantation) - Restoration of a Portion of the Port Royal Shoreline

- Terminal Groin at the Folly

1999 - South Beach Emergency Beach Fill Project

2006/07 – Renourishment of Atlantic Shorefront- Renourishment of Port Royal Plantation- Renourishment of South Beach- Restoration of Fish Haul/Spa- Six Detached Breakwaters at the Folly

Project History

1990 – Atlantic Restoration

1997 – Atlantic Renourishment/Port Royal Restoration / Channel Relocation

1999 – South Beach Restoration/220,000 cy

2006/07-Atlantic-Port Royal-South Beach Renourishment / Fish Haul Restoration

Program Summary

• Approximately 7.5 MCY placed

• Approximately 5.5 MCY remain

• Atlantic shorefront is ~ 200 wider, on average, than pre-1990 conditions

• Construction Cost To-Date: ~$40 Million

Program Performance

• Highly Successful Program; performance of nourishment

projects have far exceeded program expectations

• Island-wide improvement in beach and dune conditions

• Significant increase in access for recreational users/public

• Reliable buffer between ocean and upland

• Improved Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat

• Critical Habitat Designation – Piping Plover

Cumulative Beach Volume ChangeHilton Head Island Beach Nourishment – Atlantic Ocean Project Shoreline

1986-201119

86

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Year

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

6.5

Beac

h Vo

lume

(milli

ons

of cy

)re

lativ

e to

the

Febr

uary

1990

(pre

-pro

ject)

cond

ition

-166,400 cy/yrloss rate

-100,100 cy/yrloss rate

1990 Pre-ProjectPerformance Prediction-164,000 cy/yr loss rate

-37,200 cy/yr(4.1 years)

1990

Pro

ject

1997

Pro

ject

2006

/07

Proje

ct

Benefits of Program

2006 – Project Completion

North Forest Beach

Palmetto Dunes

Pre-1990ShorelineLocation

1989

2001

Benefits of Program

1989

2001

Benefits of Program

Return on InvestmentRecent inquiry / criticism:

“beach renourishment is expensive”

2008 appraised valuations * ~ $2.8 Billion

2011 appraised valuations * ~ $3.9 Billion

2010 tax revenue ~ $31.5 Million

*First row only, not including golf courses which may have ocean frontage but are primarily large inland tracts of land

Beach Preservation Fee(Established in 1993)

• 2% accommodation tax on overnight, short-term (less than 90 days) lodging

• Preservation, maintenance, nourishment, renourishment, and improvement to the beaches and facilities related thereto

• Generates approximately $4.4 M annually

Other Typical Historic Beach Preservation Fee Expenditures

• Land Acquisition (open space preservation)

• Park Development• Support Facilities (Public Works)

• Natural Resources (sea turtles, plovers, dune plantings, etc.)

• General Fund Transfer (prorated portions of salaries, etc.)

• Establish Fund Balance ($13 million)

To-date, the Town has:

• Purchased beachfront land at a cost of approximately $20,000,000

• Constructed 8 beach parks providing 1401 parking spaces and pedestrian access to the beach

• Incurred $400,000 annual maintenance costs• Constructed 3 large-scale restoration/ renourishment

projects (including the use of structures) placing more than 7 million cubic yards of sand at a total cost of ~$40,000,000 (1986-present)

Joiner Bank History

Recent Shoreline Change Conditions at ‘The Heel”

Port Royal Beach Restoration and Stabilization Project

Directive of Council – Aug. 2006

Multi-beam high resolution bathymetric survey – Oct. 2007 – Aug. 2008

Seismic sub-bottom survey

North Island Shoreline Change Study – Aug. 2008 (update to 1994 investigation)

Vibracores – Conducted Dec. 2008 – Jan. 2009

Remote Sensing Survey – Apr. 2009

Wave refraction/diffraction Modeling – August 2009

Biological Assessment – Piping Plover Critical Habitat – August 2009

Project Permit Application – Made Sept 16, 2009, issued December 2, 2010

Proposed Plan of Action toAddress Heel Shoreline Erosion

• Beach Nourishment with Shore Stabilizing Structure

• Stabilize High Rate of Erosion at Heel and Incorporate Area into Future Renourishment Projects

Areas Most Likely to Need Future Nourishment

• Heel Shoreline

• North Forest Beach/Palmetto Dunes Shoreline

Future Program

Approach• A paradigm shift in the beach management program

• The future objectives should focus on maintaining conditions rather than striving to continually widen the beach

• Recent observations suggest that smaller projects in the future may be sufficient to maintain beach conditions

• Following completion of the Port Royal Shoreline Restoration and Stabilization Project in 2011, island-wide periodic nourishment projects may only need to be about 60 percent of the size of the past projects

Thank You

BEACH RENOURISHMENT & MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Scott P. Liggett, P.E.ScottL@hiltonheadislandsc.gov

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism ConferenceSeptember 19-21, 2011 – Hilton Head Island, SC