Beach nourishment Archives - Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates

2022 Summer Beach Renourishment on the OBX

The Beach Nourishment with the equipment, the crab and a walkover on the OBX.

Do you have a vacation planned on the Outer Banks of North Carolina this summer? If you do, then allow us to share with you a little information about a much needed project taking place on our beach. Staying with us in one of our Outer Banks vacation rentals will keep you close to the beach. We at Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates wanted to share a little more information with you on what is happening on the OBX this summer with the beach nourishment project.

What is Beach Nourishment?

This is a question that is often asked many times for those who may not live at the beach, “what is beach nourishment?” Beach nourishment is something that is done periodically to most beaches whether it’s on the east coast, the gulf, or the west coast. Beaches are prone to natural erosion due to hurricanes and weather patterns; these types of natural erosion can alter the way the shoreline looks.

A peek from the first beach nourishment project at Jeanette's Pier in Nags Head, NC. — A peek from the first beach nourishment project at Jeanette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC.

You will notice that not all the beaches will be affected at the same time of the nourishment project. The crews will typically work on a section of the beach for about 2-3 days. During this time, they will be dredging sand from the bottom of the ocean floor and pumping it back to the shoreline that needs additional sand. They will use large machinery and large pipes to help pump the sand onto the shoreline. While this is taking place that section of the beach is closed but after the work is completed, they will move onto a new section of the beach.

What Are The Causes of Beach Erosion?

This is "The Crab" a 3-wheeled apparatus to measure what has to be done. — This is “The Crab” a 3-wheeled apparatus to measure what has to be done.

Beach erosion happens often on the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico coast. The reason is due to a high influx of wind & storms including hurricanes that impact the barrier islands. The constant wind wiping and strong waves lapping along the shores of the barrier island change their shape, shoreline, and beaches. Often, we will generally see a change in the way one of the islands looks after a major hurricane comes through the area. But it’s not always just storms that can cause erosion. The wind, waves and tide changes also play a big role in the erosion as it will often take sand back into the ocean causing a change to the beach.

Benefits of Nourishment

A view into what the completed area looks like after it's renourished including a walkover the pipe. — A view into what the completed area looks like after it’s renourished including a walkover the pipe.

The Outer Banks beaches are a big portion of why people continue to vacation here. We continue to keep our beaches clean, and we will continue to invite those back for years and years to come. The Outer Banks is part of the barrier islands of North Carolina and play a big part in keeping the mainland from the brunt of major storms and tides. Just like the upkeep on your home, nourishments on the OBX are required for our beaches.

Looking out onto the first beach nourishment at Jeanette's Pier in Nags Head, NC. — Looking out onto the first beach nourishment at Jeanette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC.

We are excited to see the results of the beach renourishment when it’s complete in September 2022 as there will be more beaches to love afterwards. Having strong and wide beaches provide storm protection for coastal structures, create new habitats, and enhance the beach for recreation. Staying in one of our OBX vacation rentals will allow your family to reconnect with each other this summer. We at Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates are looking forward to seeing you and your family this summer as you make new memories.

To learn more about the beach nourishment program and specific information on project updates please click here.

Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates is one of the most trusted vacation rental managers in the local area by growing into a market leader in the Vacation Rental and Sales Industry. Joe Lamb Jr. and his family have played a vital and intricate role in the Outer Banks Community for decades.

Over the past 50+ years, Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates have worked diligently to help promote the Outer Banks for the amazing beach and family vacation destination that it is, helping to increase tourism in the area and grow our beautiful community.

Recycled Christmas Trees Help Fight Beach Erosion on the Outer Banks

Recycled Christmas trees strategically placed on the beach to help fight erosion and ensure the dunes stay healthy in the Outer Banks NC.

The holiday season is over so give your Christmas tree a much needed beach vacation!

Every year on the Outer Banks recycled trees are taken away and put on the beaches by the *Boy Scouts and a few other organizations.

This event will stimulate sand dune grass growth. Through scooping and shoveling sand on the lower limbs, or sometimes by being staked down, the trees are placed to their sides and are anchored to the beach. Over time, the needles of the tree become much denser than they are originally and can be useful in capturing and preventing sand movement effectively. The hedge of trees serves like a fence of natural sand. Who knew Christmas trees could also be so functional?

It is best practice to remove from the tree all ornaments, candles, ribbons, tinsel and other decorations. Subsequently, any unnatural things left on trees may become a threat to animals and marine life.

The stabilization of sand dunes requires a few different acts. For a healthy sand dune environment, wooden sand fences may help preserve sand and other resources that are required. But it can become very expensive and difficult to buy materials to build wooden fences, especially for all areas on the Outer Banks that need dune stabilization.

Beautiful sand dunes located on the Outer Banks.

For sand dune restoration, the use of Christmas trees is very beneficial. The trees rapidly decompose and supply grass seed with nutrients. When the seeds start germinating and the dune grass takes off. When using trees to promote grass growth, this will help reduce the negative effects of wind and water.

For Christmas tree repurposing, the Town of Nags Head provides two choices. You should position it in front of your property by the side of the road and crews can make multiple passes to collect the trees in January. Or, to ensure they know your tree is available for processing, you should contact Nags Head Public Works Department at 252-441-1122.

*The Boy Scouts will be receiving all the trees collected by the Public Works Department.

This year, as the holiday season comes to a close, pause before you throw your Christmas tree to the trash, please remember that these big bits of greenery have a much greater reason for being than just a month long decoration. They are a vital part of saving the sand dunes of the ever-loved Outer Banks. Christmas trees help you enjoy your next beach vacation by making sure the dunes and the beach’s ecosystem stays healthy!

Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates encourages you to compost your Christmas trees, repurposing these trees will create long lasting differences on the OBX for future vacation beach enjoyment. So send these Christmas trees on an Outer Banks beach vacation now!

Over the past 50+ years, Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates have worked diligently to help promote the Outer Banks for the amazing beach and family vacation destination that it is, helping to increase tourism in the area and grow our beautiful community.

Outer Banks Beach Nourishment Project Gains National Recognition

The beginning of the Outer Banks intra-local beach nourishment project. Duck, spring 2017.

Intra-Local Effort Recognized for Multiple Community Benefits

What does a couple of years of planning and $38.5 million earn? When it comes to beach nourishment, recognition as one of the best projects in the nation.

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) which is a trade organization for companies engaged in nourishment, recognized the Intra-local project, taking note especially that it took a couple of years to move the project forward and that multiple towns and jurisdictions worked together.

“The take-home message for these projects is a multi-town beach nourishment project can be successful even when the odds seem to be against you,” Lee Weishar, chair of the association’s Best Restored Beach Committee, said.

The initial observation is that the project, that included the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, performs as advertised. Although there were a number of significant storm events over the fall and winter of this past year, overwash and flooding was minimal with no reported infrastructure damage.

For a town like Kitty Hawk that is remarkable. The town’s beaches in particular suffered significant loss of sand and even storms that were not particularly strong caused widespread road closures as waves overtopped the dunes.

The ASBPA ranks nourishment projects on three criteria:

The economic and ecological benefits the beach brings to its community;
The short and long-term success of the restoration project; and
The challenges each community overcame during the course of the project.

The funding for the project was an innovative combination of local and Dare County money. Contributions from the towns were significant, but the lion’s share came from County coffers.

“Dare County is committed to preserving our beaches,” county board chairman Bob Woodard told the Outer Banks Voice.“They are the engine that drives our tourism economy and they require ongoing attention.”

Take some time to explore Outer Banks beaches. Check out Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates. for the best properties and the best locations.

Beach Nourishment Begins in Duck

Beach nourishment construction zone in Duck.

The first 200’ of the Dare County Intra-Local Beach Nourishment project has been competed in Duck.

Crews been working last week and made good progress in spite of some thunderstorms that rolled through the area. The schedule is pretty aggressive so crews are working seven days a week.

A Construction Zone

Beach nourishment calls for an active construction zone, and Great Lades Dredge Company, who has the contract to place the sand on the beach, has a lot of experience in the field. As a consequence the area they are working in is clearly marked as a construction zone.

Plans call for minimizing the impact of the project for Outer Banks visitors. Construction zones, as an example, are limited to 500’, creating plenty of sandy space on both sides.

Planned Schedule

The first phase in Duck should take 45 days. Equipment will then be moved to Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores. Southern Shores is a bit late to the nourishment party, the decision to nourish about a half mile of shoreline came after Hurricane Matthew devastated the beach in front of Pelican Watch.

Southern Shores did not officially vote to participate until March of this year.

The Kitty Hawk portion of the project is the most involved and according to the design team from Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina the work will take 74 days, beginning in early July and ending in September.

Included in that work is a one week window in June to complete the Southern Shores portion.

Work in Kill Devil Hills will being in August and plans call for it to take about 40 days.

The appearance of the Duck beach is typical of a newly nourished area. Much wider than it was before nourishment, by design a portion of that sand will be returning to the sea to create a protective sandbar.

Beach nourishment does take a long-term commitment. Typically a beach has to be renourished in five to seven years. The Nags Head beach, which was nourished in 2011, is due to for a touch next year, seven years after the first phase of their project ended.

Replenishing, however, is not as expensive as the first go around nor does it take as long.

Southern Shores Approves Beach Nourishment

Reasons for beach nourishment. Numbers 1 and 3 are particularly relevant for Southern Shores. — Reasons for beach nourishment. Numbers 1 and 4 are particularly relevant for Southern Shores.

Town Council Agrees It’s Needed

After months of debate and hesitation, beach nourishment is coming to the town of Southern Shores.

After Hurricane Matthew devastated the shoreline in front of Pelican Watch, just north of Kitty Hawk Pier, residents asked the town council if it would be possible to piggyback on the Kitty Hawk portion of the Dare County Intra-local beach nourishment project.

On Monday, March 6, by a vote of 4-1 the Town Council decided to move forward with the project. Councilman Gary McDonald, concerned about ongoing cost commitments, voted agains the proposal.

Cost Savings

If the Town Council had not approved the measure at this time, the cost of nourishing the beach would have been far more expensive in the future. By taking advantage of existing equipment in place, Southern Shores was able to get the best possible price for the project.

The next opportunity to piggyback on a local project if town council had not reached an agreement would be next year when Nags Head replenishes their beach. However, because Nags Head is father away from Southern Shores than Kitty Hawk, the expense would be greater.

The Intra-local agreement stipulates a 50/50 cost sharing between the county and the town that are participating. With the addition of Southern Shores, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and Duck are now part of the program.

As a late comer to the agreement, Southern Shores does have a slightly different payment arrangement with the county agreeing to pay up to $500,000 of shared cost. Although project engineers have not given a final cost estimate, there is confidence the final price tag will not exceed $1 million.

Southern Shores will fund their portion of the project with a special $150,000 assessment on the 26 beachfront properties affected and with funds from general revenues.

The portion of the beach that will be nourished is approximately 2500’ north of the Kitty Hawk town line.

The project will begin in late June.

Meetings Highlight Outer Banks Beach Nourishment

Julien Devisse of Coastal Planning and Engineering speaking at Kill Devil Hills. — Julien Devisse of Coastal Planning and Engineering discussing beach nourishment at Kill Devil Hills.

With beach nourishment scheduled to begin in May in the towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills–and maybe Southern Shores, the contractor for the project, Coastal Engineering held a series of informational meetings Wednesday and Thursday.

Traveling with Coastal Engineering was a representative from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, the company that will be pumping the sand on the beach.

The presentation in each town was geared toward the work that was being done there, but much of the presentation was consistent.

Construction

The work, as an example, will be done in 1000’ sections, and as construction is underway, the public, for safety reasons, will not be permitted in the work zone.

Julien Devisse from Coastal Engineering had the task of explaining how nourishment works.

Using graphs he showed how, over time, sand from a nourished beach typically moves off shore to form a protective sand bar that helps to dissipate the fore of incoming waves.

He also discussed the timetable.

Work is scheduled to begin in Duck in mid May with a planned completion date in late June or early July.

Kitty Hawk will begin in mid June and should wrap up by mid August.

Plans call for Kill Devil Hills nourishment to begin in early August and be completed by mid September.

Devisse did caution, though, that there were a number of factors that could influence the schedule—weather is certainly one of the factors. He also noted, however, that the dredges were pumping sand almost continuously and that given the abrasive nature of sand, equipment failures could occur.

Dredging

According to the representative from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock the borrow areas, which is where the sand is located that will be brought to the beach, is about six miles off shore and is considered easily accessible with good quality sand.

Although there are conditions under which it will not be able to operate, the dredge can continue its work in seas up to 8’.

Federal regulations require monitoring for sea turtles. N.E.S.T. will be monitoring construction zones to insure no nesting sea turtles are disturbed.

Category: Beach nourishment