Why beaches erode. . . and what we can do about it

Why do

beaches

erode?

The simple answer is they do not haveenough sand. However, the causes aredifferent in different parts of the country.

� On the West Coast, beaches are sand-starved when river dams block the flow ofsand. Eastern beaches often lack sandbecause inlets or navigation projectsinterrupt sand’s along-shore movement.

� All beaches suffer from storms andother natural events that cause erosion.Things as disparate as storm-drivenwaves or a simple change in an offshoresandbar may cause one coastal area tolose sand while another gains.

Who is the ASBPA?The American Shore & Beach PreservationAssociation is the nation’s oldest organiza-tion promoting science-based policies forthe protection of beaches and shores.

Since 1926, this national organizationhas worked with legislators and regulatorsto craft sound public policy to benefit shore-lines across the country, while spearhead-ing research efforts to better understand thedynamic processes at work along ourcoasts.

To learn more about beaches, visit theASBPA’s Web site at www.asbpa.org

What can we do about it?

For decades, people have tried puttingeverything on the beach to stop erosionincluding the proverbial kitchen sink.During the 20th century, when coastalengineering and coastal geology cameinto their own, science played more ofa role in fighting erosion.

Still, there is no one magical answer thatworks everywhere. Often, it takes acombination of solutions.

Land use regulations: While requiringcoastal buildings to be set back andelevated doesn’t slow erosion, it doeslessen its impact on buildings. That’s whymost states have enacted special coastalland use regulations.

Abandonment: Wholesale retreat is notpractical in many areas. But, in minimallypopulated areas with low property values,it may make sense to buy property andremove infrastructure.

Structures: There are two kinds that“draw the line” in the sand – literally.Seawalls run parallel to the shore toprotect the property behind them. Unfor-tunately, they don’t add sand to thesystem. Other structures (groins and

jettys) run perpendicular to the shorelineand keep sand from moving down thebeach. They can work well only when sandis already being added to the beach.

Beach restoration: Adding sand to thebeach to replace what’s been lost is theclosest we’ve come to solving the problem.Coastal scientists have years of experiencewith beach restoration projects and havelearned that adding sand in the right quanti-ties, properly engineered and maintained,can make a beach last forever.

Why do we care about beaches?

Our beaches are an American treasure interms of storm protection, recreation, theeconomy and the environment.

Recreation: Beaches are our longestnational park, with more recreational usethan all our national parks combined.Unlike many parks, however, beaches areaccessible to metropolitan areas. Right

now, public beach access must beprovided in order for a beach project toreceive any federal funding. That’s agreat motivation to keep our beachesaccessible to everyone.

Storm protection: Studies show that ahealthy beach protects the properties

behind it – and the roads, buildings andsewer or water lines. That means fewerflood insurance claims and disasterassistance requests. It also means a lotless misery for coastal citizens.

Environment: When we lose the beach,we lose invaluable natural habitat. Seaturtles have difficulty nesting on aneroding beach, and those nests are moresusceptible to predators. On a narrow ornonexistent beach, birds have no placeto nest or feed. Unique beach ecosys-tems can be destroyed when there isn’tenough sand to support them.

Economic: America’s coast is a magnetfor people who want to live and play onthe beach. More than 50 percent ofAmericans live within 50 miles of thecoast. Healthy beaches are a major drawfor tourists from across the nation andthe world, generating billions of dollars inrevenues annually and creating thou-sands of jobs.