Abstract
The 16 kilometer (km) beach along Nags Head (North Carolina, USA) has sustained chronic erosion over the past 50 years. In 2011, 3.5 million cubic meters (m3) of beach-quality sand was dredged from offshore and placed along the oceanfront at fill densities ranging from 150 m3/m to 400 m3/m (averages 220 m3/m). It is the largest locally funded beach nourishment project completed to date in the U.S. Following successful completion of the project, the Town of Nags Head monitored performance and developed strategies for beach maintenance and preservation with the goal of improving protection to all properties and recreational beach area. The short-term plan is a renourishment anticipated to commence in the summer of 2018 or before the 2011 project reaches 50% fill remaining. The long-term plan targets a timeframe of 30 years. This abstract will focus on the short-term plan whose original purpose and goals are to supplement and enhance the initial 2011 project.
Highlights
PROJECT PLANNING Annual beach condition surveys in June for the first five years after the completion of the 2011 project show that the project area retained ~90% of the nourishment sand as of June 2016, and only ~0.35 million m3 of sand lost from the fill templates over the first five years
A comprehensive beach condition survey was conducted after Matthew’s passage, and the results show that ~1.1 million m3 of sand (~30 percent of the nourishment volume) shifted out of the fill templates after the storm from the foredune to – 5.8 m NAVD
The 2018 renourishment design draws on the previous numerical modeling experience, and implemented the Delft3D modeling suite to identify erosion hotspots, optimize the fill design, estimate the project longevity, and evaluate the impact of offshore borrow area dredging on longshore sediment transport
Summary
PROJECT PLANNING Annual beach condition surveys in June for the first five years after the completion of the 2011 project show that the project area retained ~90% of the nourishment sand as of June 2016, and only ~0.35 million m3 of sand lost from the fill templates over the first five years. While the project overall performed better than expected during the first five years, erosion losses varied significantly from north to south in the range (+) 7 m3/m/yr to (-) 50 m3/m/yr. The latest hurricane, Matthew, impacted the project area on 8−9 October 2016.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
