Seawalls

An effective seawall should dissipate the energy from the wave action. Sand dunes work best because they absorb a lot of the energy before the wave heads back out to sea. Every man-made barrier I have seen creates an energy backwash. The result being sand washed away from the beach. If the barrier is big/tall enough, the property is "saved" at the expense of the beach. What you have left is usually hard packed sand and no beach to speak of at high tide.

An effective seawall should dissipate the energy from the wave action. Sand dunes work best because they absorb a lot of the energy before the wave heads back out to sea. Every man-made barrier I have seen creates an energy backwash. The result being sand washed away from the beach. If the barrier is big/tall enough, the property is "saved" at the expense of the beach. What you have left is usually hard packed sand and no beach to speak of at high tide.

That's what happened at Fripp with what they did to save property. You can get trapped during a walk on the beach when the tide starts coming in and must escape via the closest walkover and walk home on the nearest roadway. It's awful and ugly.

That's what happened at Fripp with what they did to save property. You can get trapped during a walk on the beach when the tide starts coming in and must escape via the closest walkover and walk home on the nearest roadway. It's awful and ugly.

That sounds scary indeed!!

Thanks for the photos - they are sad.

and to think, they could have all had a nice jetty rock covered broken dune face across the whole county



the proof, and why not to use seawalls:
http://www.seahorsecontractors.com/rock/open.html

btw, turtles nest in sand on top of rock and even small pockets of sand within solid rock all the time

it should be fun watching and betting on which wall 'breaches' first!

carribean island related, but useful:

http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/source/ero7.htm



http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/source/ero8.htm

wow, this island thingy from UNESCO (is that the UN?) is the most valuable resource I've ever seen for beach erosion (and other things):

start page: http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/source/ero6.htm

neat!

too bad no one's ever read it at the courthouse

if you go through the cases at the bottom of the page and you'll have a full education on beach erosion and the fixes of it

wow - there it is (in Case #2)!
"Maintain a wide and stable beach.
A wide beach is the best protection against the high waves and storm surge generated by a hurricane. A beach is a flexible barrier which will be eroded during the storm but rebuilt quickly afterwards. Any measures which help to protect a beach or dune area, such as setting new buildings well back from the active wave impact zone, conserving natural beach and dune vegetation, dune stabilization practices and preventing beach sand mining, will help to conserve the beach as a natural storm barrier."

WOW! (still in Case #2) "Allow time for the beach to recover naturally. Do not rush out and build walls or other hard structures, since these may actually impede recovery."



get ready for some new gulffront property!

hey, wait a minute - from Kurt's seawall construction photos it would appear that the function of the 'seawall' may be not to protect the dune from further destruction from the sea but to stop the dune slump that would undermine the building further - notice the cable structure designed to hold the wall from bowing out, not stopping the waves from the sea! I wish I had seen that unesco thing before - I never noticed this!

This is a hot-button issue if ever there was one. I understand that homes must be saved, but at what cost?

My question is, why is the county not stepping in and instutiting some kind of guidelines/rules so if there is to be seawall construction, it is consistent from an aesthetic standpoint?

To me, nothing is uglier than four beach homes all in a row with four different kinds of seawalls.

This is a hot-button issue if ever there was one. I understand that homes must be saved, but at what cost?

My question is, why is the county not stepping in and instutiting some kind of guidelines/rules so if there is to be seawall construction, it is consistent from an aesthetic standpoint?

To me, nothing is uglier than four beach homes all in a row with four different kinds of seawalls.

It really is time for that vomiter smilie. I am curious about these structures, but will try and not see them in person if I can help it. Are these the "quick" fix walls or have they gotten a final okay from the county?

Thanks for the pictures Blake, what a huge change this is for sowal beaches.

To me, nothing is uglier than four beach homes all in a row with four different kinds of seawalls.

Ok, I have an idea. Let's all just look out at the sea, she is beautiful, and then let's all look up at that beautiful moon and stars. Then in the daytime do the same thing, look up at that beautiful blue sky and awesome clouds...let's not turn around and look at any of the beach homes. Let's walk blindfolded down to the beach and don't peek. That is what I am gonna do the next time I am down there, if the seawalls look bad. Then, I am going to enjoy the friends and family I am there with. I am gonna say a little prayer for the homeowners, and business owners that the homes and businesses they have, don't fall off the dunes.

Ok, I have an idea. Let's all just look out at the sea, she is beautiful, and then let's all look up at that beautiful moon and stars. Then in the daytime do the same thing, look up at that beautiful blue sky and awesome clouds...let's not turn around and look at any of the beach homes. Let's walk blindfolded down to the beach and don't peek. That is what I am gonna do the next time I am down there, if the seawalls look bad. Then, I am going to enjoy the friends and family I am there with. I am gonna say a little prayer for the homeowners, and business owners that the homes and businesses they have, don't fall off the dunes.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to walk down that beach back in say, the 1500's? Talk about beautiful! You'd have to fight off the wildlife with a stick.

Oh, and Blake,

We came across some pictures from about 1996 when our kids were pretty young on the beach and it was shocking to see where the beach was and where it is today.

The dunes were huge and very deep, and the beach was at least 2x the depth it is today. I know this is not news to most long timers, but it was a surprise to stumble onto those pictures and see the reality of it.

Now, all that being said, I still think the beaches are beautiful and feel very lucky to get to enjoy them whenever I can. Sometimes I just need to remind myself to not say, 'if only' and be accepting of what God and life have to offer.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to walk down that beach back in say, the 1500's? Talk about beautiful! You'd have to fight off the wildlife with a stick.

Oh, and Blake,

Interesting you mention that, as this is something I think about all the time. I would love to see these beaches the way DeSoto saw them.

Actually, anyone who saw the the South Walton beaches prior to 1970 got a pretty good idea of what the Spaniards saw in the 17th century. It really hasn't been that long ago that you could walk from Destin to Grayton and see nothing but dunes.

Ok, I have an idea. Let's all just look out at the sea, she is beautiful, and then let's all look up at that beautiful moon and stars. Then in the daytime do the same thing, look up at that beautiful blue sky and awesome clouds...let's not turn around and look at any of the beach homes. Let's walk blindfolded down to the beach and don't peek. That is what I am gonna do the next time I am down there, if the seawalls look bad. Then, I am going to enjoy the friends and family I am there with. I am gonna say a little prayer for the homeowners, and business owners that the homes and businesses they have, don't fall off the dunes.

Yeah, but it'll be like at Fripp. Because of the seawalls, there won't be any beach to walk on anytime near high tide!

Blake and thanks for the pics.

Yeah, but it'll be like at Fripp. Because of the seawalls, there won't be any beach to walk on anytime near high tide!

SoWal will learn this lesson after it is too late. The seawalls will actually promote erosion.

I don't frequent this forum very often, so excuse me if this has been addressed already. But its time to stop complaining, mount the cavalry and put a stop to seawalls, like we did to high rises back when. I hear lots of noise but see no action being taken. Granted, people who build seawalls are acting on fear, but it borders on shameful. (If anyone is building a wall and would like to rebut me, please do.) There are better ways to protect properties-- that won't eliminate the beach.

Beachfront owners, Tear Down Your Walls.

I don't frequent this forum very often, so excuse me if this has been addressed already. But its time to stop complaining, mount the cavalry and put a stop to seawalls, like we did to high rises back when. I hear lots of noise but see no action being taken. Granted, people who build seawalls are acting on fear, but it borders on shameful. (If anyone is building a wall and would like to rebut me, please do.) There are better ways to protect properties-- that won't eliminate the beach.

Beachfront owners, Tear Down Your Walls.

time will tell, because:

a) I don't think they *are* seawalls - they seem to be more like retaining walls made specifically to keep the dune sand the buildings are built on from sliding out from under the buildings - they don't meet the Florida DEP specs for a 'seawall' anyway, either buried or non-buried

b) they may end up functioning as seawalls when Wilma or the next one comes ashore somewhere closer than south florida, then they will collapse as they don't have any scour protection to keep the wet sand from slipping out from around or under them

oh well, what do I know, anyway

It's the same thing though. sorry to harp on this again, but dune slump (sand sliding down from the vertical to assume a more rounded shape, and thus the house built on top of the dune collapses) occurs regardless of hurricanes and really dosen't require the sea to even be present. I can now see where the homeowners would have no choice but to put up individual retaining walls per unit, as each unit's exposure is different and the distance from the structure would vary. The county would have no real way, or desire, to link each of the individual retaining walls together into a chain that might all give way at the weakest link. A seawall would be the county's responsibility, but individual retaining walls would be the homeowner's. The sea being present adds a dynamic aspect to the scenario that could eventually make the beachfront a constant war of gravity and slumping sands vs the retaining walls. In trying to hold sand in a vertical cliff-like orientation forever, the sand and gravity will eventually win, and the beach will eventually be littered with collapsed retaining walls and houses.

I witnessed seawall construction at Four Mile Villiage last week. My balcony at the Hilton faced that way, so I got a pretty good lesson on what they were doing.

First, I noticed a line of pilings had been driven into the sand. The next day, a backhoe was pulling the pilings out and replacing them with the corregated metal sheeting that is shown in the photos above.

My question is why? Why were the pilings removed? Did they violate some kind of code?

Regardless, everyone above is correct. During the next significant storm surge, the seawalls that survive will have no sand in front of them. The ones that fail will litter the beach, making for a very expensive cleanup.

The fact the county is allowing these homeowners to "do their own thing" is a big mistake.

The fact the county is allowing these homeowners to "do their own thing" is a big mistake.

We are the county. We elected these people to represent us. If We're making a big mistake, We're the ones who have to stop the madness. We need an amendment to the county code that forbids permanent seawalls. We did it last month with sand color, and years back with dog permits and high rises (now that was some community involvement). It can be done, but only if we care enough to act. Start by writing your Commisioner. (I feel as if I am shouting into the wind, but I hope not.)

Is there a lawyer on this forum?

I hope we never have another hurricane but if we do, I hope the seawalls are the first things to go. I don't want to see the "protected" houses exposed but do want to see this whole "seawall theory" exposed. If this upsets anyone on here that is a gulf front homeowner then we are even because you have already upset me, so STFU!

Walton Sun:

Boating through Eastern Lake past 407 Lakewood Drive, residents may be surprised to see a metal seawall along the lake?s bank.
In the wake of Hurricane Dennis, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection allowed Walton County to issue 60-day temporary seawall permits, allowing homeowners to protect properties in imminent danger of destruction.
On Aug. 24, contractor Branch McClendon applied for a temporary seawall permit for 407 Lakewood Drive for property owner Lee DeBeauchamp. More than 150 temporary permits were processed at the time the application was approved.
?It was issued in error. It was not made clear to staff that is was actually on one of the dune lakes. They implied it was erosion,? said Planning and Development Director Pat Blackshear.
The FDEP has the authority to approve any long-term seawalls, but the county has to write a letter recommending the wall be approved. Under DEP regulations, if a long-term permit is not approved, the temporary structures have to be removed.
?We?re not going to issue a letter of recommendation,? Blackshear said concerning the structure.
?We do review them on a case by case basis and some of them might be able to stay up,? DEP spokesperson Sarah Williams said about permit issuing.
In the event residents don?t comply with seawall regulations, there can be penalties imposed by the county or DEP. Blackshear explained that it is too early to know the outcome of this situation.
?We?re very careful in the permitting process. I don?t know how it slipped by,? Blackshear said.

Update for Paula:
That fella's new seawall near Camp Creek cottages in Seacrest is already partially down. Maybe not due to wind or water in this case--looks like the sand from the dune settled and pushed the wall down in the middle. Debris is strewn, natch. Only thing those walls are good for: