Beach Nourishment and Protection

Many coastal communities have built structures at their beaches and added quantities of sand in contoured designs to combat erosion.

Are such beach nourishment projects technically and economically sound? Or are they nothing more than building sand castles, as critics claim?Beach Nourishment and Protection provides a sound technical basis for decision-making, with recommendations regarding the utility of beach nourishment, the appropriate role of federal agencies, responsibility for cost, design methodology, and other issues. This volume:Examines the economic and social role of beaches, the history of beach nourishment projects, and management strategies for shore protection. Discusses the role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies, with a close-up look at the federal flood insurance program. Explores the state of the art in project design and prediction of outcomes, including the controversy over the use of traditional and nontraditional shore protection devices. Addresses what is known about the environmental impacts of beach nourishment. Identifies what outcomes should be targeted for continued monitoring by project officials. Beach Nourishment and Protection provides insight into the technical, economic, environmental, and policy implications of beach nourishment and protection, with examples and suggested research directions. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 Management Strategies for Shore Protection3 The Federal Role in Beach Nourishment4 Beach Nourishment Project Design and Prediction5 Environmental Issues Associated with Beach Nourishment6 Monitoring7 Conclusions and RecommendationsA Biographical SketchesB Papers Prepared for this StudyC Prediction of Beach Nourishment PerformanceD Design of Beach Nourishment ProjectsE Economic Concepts and Issues: Social Costs and Benefits of BeachNourishment ProjectsF Project Construction and Sediment Sources, Transfer, andPlacementG Physical Processes MonitoringH U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers Design CriteriaI Excerpts from Federal Laws Pertaining to Placement of Sand fromChannel Maintenance Projects on BeachesIndex