Link to the Fall 2008 edition of NCBIWAY, the eNewsmagazine of NC Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association: http://www.ncbiwa.org/Fall08News.pdf
Time For Change
Editorial - By Mayor Debbie Smith, Chair, NCBIWA
The use of terminal groins to protect the ever-changing ends of our islands has been much debated this past year. North Carolina has prohibited the use of hardened structures along the ocean shore and inlets for years. Prohibition of hardened structures along the North Carolina coast should not be changed, but inlets create special situations and require special tools, such as terminal groins. It is time for change!
In 2007 the NC Senate overwhelmingly supported (41-8) a bill to allow for the use of terminal groins in NC. In the NC House, the bill was held in committee and never allowed to go to the full House for a vote. Because the bill never emerged from the committee the bill died at the end of the 2008 short session. To cause a change to the law prohibiting terminal groins, a new bill will have to be introduced in 2009.
At present the only shoreline protection measures allowed in North Carolina are beach nourishment, temporary sandbag structures or inlet realignment. Beach nourishment is extremely successful in restoring our beaches but does not stay in place at inlet areas without some structure such as a terminal groin. Sandbags are temporary structures. The Coastal Resources Commission is mandating all sandbags be removed that have outlived their permitted time frames (usually 2-5 years). Inlet realignment is expensive, requires constant maintenance and the results are not as predictable as a terminal groin.
Terminal groins are a proven protective tool without negative environmental impact. Terminal groins are widely used in almost all coastal states as an erosion control measure. There are presently two successful terminal groins in the state of North Carolina. One has protected historic Fort Macon in Carteret County since the mid 1960s. The other protects Pea Island at the base of the Bonner Bridge and was constructed in 1989-1991. Both have functioned as designed and provided protection to these structures.
A terminal groin is not the answer for all inlets, but properly engineered and constructed it can offer the needed erosion protection for a number of NC inlets.
Many environmentalists oppose the use of terminal groins, offering retreat or relocation as the preferred option.
This may have been an economically viable option decades ago but with the present value of coastal land and often limited availability of vacant lots it is not always feasible today. It is not always just a matter of economics; there is an emotional factor in unnecessarily losing a home on the coast that you have enjoyed for many years. It is not just private property that is lost. It is public property, public access and infrastructure that are endangered as well. Decades ago there were not as many roads, public sewers or water systems in place on our islands as there are today. Visit any barrier island and you will see that the ends of the islands are some of the most popular spots for visitors and vacationers. They offer unique opportunities for exploring, fishing, and shelling.
Terminal groins are not large unsightly structures. It is generally a low structure that is built perpendicular to the end of an island, adjacent to the inlet. It traps sand on the ocean beach before it reaches the inlet. Though not designed as a navigation aid, it could benefit the flushing action of our inlets and improve the tidal marshes and nurseries in our backwaters.
It would allow for more public beach for recreational use and wildlife habitat and nesting areas, while protecting the ocean shoreline.
Let us not bury our heads in the sand when it comes to erosion protection. Scientists must develop and communities must implement erosion mitigation strategies that are both effective and affordable. Terminal groins coupled with beach nourishment will provide an integrated approach that should be the foundation of coastal shoreline management.
Increased knowledge of shoreline processes and proven engineered solutions call for new and different protective measures.
IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE!
