Why not reefs or breakwaters?
Readers of The Outer Banks Voice have asked in our comments section why local government entities have not tried other, less expensive methods to control erosion.
Artificial reefs or breakwaters are often mentioned, in addition to terminal groins, also known as jetties.
So we went to Doug Langford, a former Dare County commissioner and past vice chairman of the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) for possible answers. His response was simple: “They aren’t permitted under CAMA statutes.”
An artificial reef system involving synthetic seaweed called Seascape is allowed, Langford said, and research shows this method was tried in front of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1984. A recent Internet search was unable to turn up evidence Seascape is still in existence as a company.
CAMA is the Coastal Area Management Act. The Coastal Resources Commission is responsible for regulating any shoreline activities under the act within its 20-county jurisdiction.
The pertinent section of the code is called “Limitations on erosion control structures,” defined as any “breakwater, bulkhead, groin, jetty, revetment, seawall, or any similar structure” and applies to all ocean shorelines and frontal dunes.
Langford noted that the Coastal Resource Commission adopted rules against these so-called hardened structures in 1985, and the rules were incorporated into state law in 2003.
Artificial reefs would fall under the restrictions, as they are considered “breakwaters” or “revetments,” depending on their design and structure. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that where near-shore shipwrecks have been located, erosion is lessened on the parallel shoreline.
The state has not even considered allowing such projects as experiments in limited areas to gauge their effectiveness.
As a result, dune-line sandbags and sand fences are the only permitted shoreline protection schemes other than pumping sand. Beach “pushes” are also allowed since there is no hardened structure.
An amendment passed last year in the Senate made an exception for terminal groins, such as the one at Oregon Inlet, in certain instances. According to state Sen. Marc Basnight, the amendment was intended to allow groins only for the protection of inlets on the ocean side, such as a northern groin for Oregon Inlet.
The legislation did not specify this and, as a result, Nags Head began to consider the idea in the area of south Nags Head along the littoral cell, which would include the dry sand beach areas. It remains to be seen if the Senate will “correct” this language in its next session. The House has yet to pass a concurring bill, so the future of groins as erosion control measures remains unclear.
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Bobby says:
Think of the advantages of artificial reefs besides erosion control. The fisherman, divers and surfers would also benefit.
Good stuff, thanks,
Bobby
Tim says:
Artificial reefs would be a great asset.
will says:
Check out this link http://www.asrltd.com There is a two minute video link to youtube too. Looks tailor- made for SNH. I believe one is currently being implemented in the Cocoa Beach Fla area.
Butch Stone says:
All of this is great.
But we need something done Now!!!
Bring back the Penny Tax!!!
Herman Blume says:
The Seascape installed to “protect” the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse didn’t work. It was a dismal failure.
The Senate did pass a bill that would/might allow terminal groins, but the House failed to discuss the issue. As a result of pressure from coastal development interests, we got a $300,000 CRC terminal groin study – that will wrap up this week – that tells us what everyone already knew: terminal groins are not an effective erosion response measure.
The language used in the bills to describe/define terminal groins is dubious, but was quickly clarified by the NC Science Panel (with input from Mark Basnight) that terminal groins – if they were to be considered at all – should only be considered at inlets (the terminus of an island).
Terminal groins, however, DO NOT protect inlets. In fact, they probably do harm to inlets in the long term. The only reason a terminal groin is built is to protect something man probably shouldn’t have placed so close to a dynamic inlet in the first place.
Nags Head only began to consider the idea of a terminal groin in the area of South Nags Head because their coastal “expert” said they should. Keep in mind that part of this so-called expert’s business is to design and build terminal groins.