BEACH FILL PLANNING - BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Abstract

Planning has recently been completed for a shore protection project along a 9-mile (14.5 km) reach of shoreline fronting the Towns of Yaupon Beach and Long Beach in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The investigative program related to this planning effort embodied numerous interrelated elements which, on integration, resulted in a rational engineering design having a continuous beach fill as the central feature. Specifically, the investigation included: (a) definition of the environment, viz, wind, waves, storm tide frequencies, beach profile characteristics, shore processes, and ecological habitats along the proposed project area as well as in potential beach fill sources; (b) Designs and cost estimates including establishment of various fill profile configurations, cost optimization of fill positions, evaluation of the frequency of shoreline retreat and the attendant displacement of fill materials, evaluation of the compatability of materials from various fill sources with the natural beach materials, environmental impact studies, and economic studies; and (c) Final plan formulation arriving at the optimum fill plan in terms of engineering functionality, economics, and minimal adverse environmental impacts.