Beach re-nourishment, what the heck is that??

So for those who don’t know I live in Jacksonville Florida. I live close to the beach and the Atlantic Ocean, I go there a lot and I really enjoy it. I was there this morning to watch the sunrise, and the ocean was angry today. It was a magnificent sunrise all the same. While I was there I noticed we were at high tide and the water was WAY up, within 20-30 feet of the dunes. I remember back earlier in the summer the Army Corp of Engineers contracted to have the beach re-nourished, it had been 6 years since it was done last. They skipped last year (normally done every 5 years) due to budget constraints.

So I thought I would take a look about when this trend of beach re-nourishment first started. I say trend because the ocean has been placing the beach and coastline where ever it wants to place it for about 4+ billion years. That was all without any human intervention. I remember the first time I saw it done was some years ago, I remember thinking, and asking, what are they doing and why?? It did not just not make sense to me to take sand from a mile or so out and bring it in and dump it one the beach. Water finds its own level and simple physics tells one that what’s in the way of the ocean will be eroded, regardless of what composition that obstruction may be made of. The force of the ocean has eroded rocks and islands and anything placed in its way, sand being about the easiest for it to move.

I have suspected since then that someone at some time in the past thought, I can get someone to pay me to move sand from here to there. AND the best part is, the ocean will move it right back over there so the job will never end. They must have been related to or knew the genius of King Camp Gillette, the inventory of the disposable razor. That was the first real thing made that had to be purchased again. Before that time razors lasted a lifetime. Anyway creating a market by making and selling a consumable product is the way of our world now but it was not always so. Anyway……..

So first a little about what beach re-nourishment is. It is basically a process by which sediment, usually sand, is lost through erosion is replaced with material from outside the eroding area of the beach. In the case of Jax beach they had a dredger type ship that would go out over the horizon and suck up a load of sand and then return to the coast and pump that sand back onto the beach through gigantic pipes. Once it is back on the beach bulldozers move it around. That sounds simple but I would bet that there is a very specific plan and the bulldozers are probably controlled by GPS to ensure every grain of sand winds up in the correct position. That in itself is kind of funny to me. I can just hear the conversation of the company doing the work - Since we are bilking the community out of a shitload of money we had better make it appear that we have injected some science into this process. One guy with his butt crack showing said, hey, what about GPS controlled bull dozers, that will convince the locals that we know what the hell we are doing. Makes me laugh and I wish I could be a fly one the wall of the marketing group of the folks who perform this service.

So the first instance of a beach re-nourishment was in 1923, it was at Coney Island, New York. Since that time it has becomes a common shoreprotection measure utilized by public and private entities. I am pretty sure a fortune has been made since that time moving sand back onto the beach, waiting a couple of years and going to get it and move it back to the beach again. There was a project in Miami that took 5 years, 76-81, and cost $64,000,000, yeah that is 64 million dollars moving sand about. That project was 10 miles long and took 5 years and cost 64 million dollars. How crazy is that.

Nourishment is one of three commonly accepted methods for protecting shorelines. The structural alternative involves constructing a seawall, revetment, groin or breakwater. Alternatively, with "managed retreat" the shoreline is left to erode, while relocating buildings and infrastructure further inland. Which, by the way, seems to me the only real choice. This re-nourishment moved about 700,000 cubic yards of sand from about 8 miles out right up onto the beach. Keep in mind that for an 1800 square foot home it only requires about 30 cubic yards of concrete. 700,000 cubic yards of sand weighs about 1.8 billion pounds when it is dry, and they pumped it off the bottom so it was probably closer to 2.4 billion pounds. That number does not even fit inside my head and I wonder if moving that volume of weight changes the spin dynamics of the earth.

The Army Corps awarded the $11 million contract to Great Lakes Dock and Dredge of Chicago in April. The project comes after years of effort to restore the beaches, which have been depleted of sand over the past six years from repeated tropical storms and northeaster winter storms. What bullshit!! I hear the Politian’s talking about how it worked, it protected our beaches from erosion. Of course they would say that, what elsecould they say after spending 11 million dollars a few months ago and all the sand is gone already. The Army Corp explains that a Beach re-nourishment is a complicated process. The Army Corps plans to use the same offshore borrow pit it tapped for the 2005 project. Barges go to a sand shoal about 8 miles offshore and the sand is delivered to the beach with a hopper dredge. More bullshit!!

One of the unintended consequences were our little sea turtle buddies. It is well known that through the months of May through October the sea turtles take to the beaches in Northeast Florida to lay their eggs. So we started our re-nourishment in July. They found some nests, 23 of the 27 nests found so far this season had to be moved north of the projected project area. I wonder how much that cost??

Well, I suppose all this and those decisions are above my pay-grade. It will not stop me from wondering, what the hell are people thinking, 11 million bucks to move sand around??? Oh well, good for the Great Lakes Dock and Dredge company for coming up with a plan, executing it and keeping some folks employed. Regardless of whether there is sand from 8 miles out or just the same old sand that the ocean places there for me is all the same to me. Enjoy sitting there watching the sun come up over whatever sand is there and the water that is slowly moving what is left of the re-nourishment back out to sea.