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Beach Nourishment

What is Beach Nourishment?

Beach renourishment is a coastal management strategy designed to combat erosion and maintain the natural beauty and functionality of our beaches.

ACC's Legislative Focus for Beach Nourishment

  • Ensure Robust Funding for Beach Nourishment and Coastal Restoration

  • Promote the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material to the Maximum Extent Possible​

  • Make Use of Environmentally Friendly Sources of Sand and Sediment

  • Protect Public Access and Promote Tourism and Recreation

Here's how it works:

  1. Identify Source Material: Beach-quality sand, often found in  barrier island inlets or offshore, is sourced to match the native beach material in terms of grain size, color, and composition.

  2. Dredging and Transport: Sand is then dredged from the seafloor and transported to the beach via hydraulic pipelines. In some cases sand is trucked from quarries on land.

  3. Placement: Sand is carefully spread along the beach across a specific template with an engineered slope to form a protective berm. Dunes are created for extra protection and are vegetated with native dune grasses to anchor the sand.

 

 

"(A) IN GENERAL.–  It is the policy of the United States to promote beach nourishment for the purposes of flood damage reduction and hurricane and storm damage reduction ... for a period of 50 years, on a comprehensive and coordinated basis by the Federal Government, States, localities and private enterprises."

-United States Congress, Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-114)