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Seawalls
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Half Moon Bay golf course will remove controversial seawall
Read full article here.
"Coastal Commission staff opposed keeping the remaining seawall because there was an alternative?moving the 18th green. However, Ocean Colony Partners had been unwilling to move the green of its 18th hole because it is a ?signature hole? on its golf course, which has been recognized as one of the top 100 golf holes in the US. "
"Ocean Colony Partners has negotiated an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to remove a 270-foot seawall consisting of granite boulders (also known as ?riprap"). The seawall is on the beach below the golf course?s 18th green."
Read full article here.
"Coastal Commission staff opposed keeping the remaining seawall because there was an alternative?moving the 18th green. However, Ocean Colony Partners had been unwilling to move the green of its 18th hole because it is a ?signature hole? on its golf course, which has been recognized as one of the top 100 golf holes in the US. "
"Ocean Colony Partners has negotiated an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to remove a 270-foot seawall consisting of granite boulders (also known as ?riprap"). The seawall is on the beach below the golf course?s 18th green."
being up at BMB yesterday on my scouting mission, i noticed many walls not completely covered. i wonder if this is acceptable as completed to the owners, or they ran out of time? sure looks unsightly.
I think the best answer is to renourish the beach like Panama City has done, except build a secondary dune line like we once had before Opal. Yes, another storm may come and wash it all away, however at least there is a barrier present even though it may end up being a sacrificial one. Maybe the long term answer is for the county to invest in owning its own dredging equipment, and just anticipate on renourishing the beach after every storm. The man made sea walls is a direct result of Walton County sitting back and doing almost nothing. Scraping the beaches certainly has made matters worse since Opal hit, and sitting back and doing nothing, well all that has done is force home owners to do everything possible to protect their homes. In my book a sacrificial sand barrier is a lot better than forcing home owners to fight to keep their homes from falling off the clift.
Also two weeks ago, the Walton Sun printed a front page article showing all the home owners who have built walls. What I would like to know is why didn't they list the greedy beach owners who have been blocking the county from starting the beach renurishment project! I think people should know their addresses also!
Also two weeks ago, the Walton Sun printed a front page article showing all the home owners who have built walls. What I would like to know is why didn't they list the greedy beach owners who have been blocking the county from starting the beach renurishment project! I think people should know their addresses also!
I think the best answer is to renourish the beach like Panama City has done, except build a secondary dune line like we once had before Opal. Yes, another storm may come and wash it all away, however at least there is a barrier present even though it may end up being a sacrificial one. Maybe the long term answer is for the county to invest in owning its own dredging equipment, and just anticipate on renourishing the beach after every storm. The man made sea walls is a direct result of Walton County sitting back and doing almost nothing. Scraping the beaches certainly has made matters worse since Opal hit, and sitting back and doing nothing, well all that has done is force home owners to do everything possible to protect their homes. In my book a sacrificial sand barrier is a lot better than forcing home owners to fight to keep their homes from falling off the clift.
Also two weeks ago, the Walton Sun printed a front page article showing all the home owners who have built walls. What I would like to know is why didn't they list the greedy beach owners who have been blocking the county from starting the beach renurishment project! I think people should know their addresses also!
I think I can give you the addresses. ;-)
FFF, you remind me of an earlier thought I had about trying to stop the erosion from high water hitting at the dunes. I am sure it is done elsewhere, though I have not looked for examples. When talking with another local one day, I learned that he, too, had thought about it.
After one of the storms in '05, I forget which one, I noticed that we had waves breaking on a rather large sandbar which had been pushed up by a previous major storm. The water was still rather high as the storm hit at high tide, but in my opinion, the waves breaking out on that sandbar prevented the waves from breaking hard onto the dune cliffs left by earlier storms. After observing this, I thought that it might be more feasible and better protection in the long-term, to create an artificial sandbar/barrier below the water surface level, just out past or near the existing sandbar. This underwater barrier would break up large waves before they reached the shore line, helping to lessen damage to the dunes and beaches. I know that east/west push associated with the storms would still remove sand, but the dunes and beaches wouldn't be beaten as hard. Also, after talking with some surfer dudes around here, I found out that it could also make for better surfing. It is an idea. Anyone care to share potential benefits or detriments of creating such a barrier?
Mike S with Surfrider has looked at this. Basically you put a "Geo" like tube as far out as the second sand bar. You put them at angles (^). What they will do is create a reef . The waves will break before they tear up the shore line. Of course this is a very general overview but probably makes as much sense as pumping the beach and waiting until the next big storm to come and get it. It would be cool to at least do a test area! This has been done in other areas for surfers to create better breaks and they noted the impact onshore was weakened by the time the wave hit the shoreline.
SJ,
Lets you and I head this one up. Talk about helping with tourism!!!! I love this idea!!!
Lets you and I head this one up. Talk about helping with tourism!!!! I love this idea!!!
My thought of this was only at a glance. Obviously, I need to a bit of research on this. I would love to hear any feedback, postive or negative, because I don't think we have found a viable solution to date. Pumping sand is a temporary solution at best, and we have all watched the waves take away the sand before the storm ever hits.
Bobby, you mention that it has been done in other areas. Any idea on what it is called, or where I can find more info?
Mike S told me about it. I have a call into him They were doing it for waves and made this discovery. I thought he was kidding but brings it up all the time. He wanted to get a meeting with the commissioners but I thought we need to learn more. I will let you know when I speak with him.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/25/hawaii.beach.ap/index.html
Hawaii digs in to shore up Waikiki Beach
POSTED: 9:12 a.m. EST, December 25, 2006
Story Highlights
? Waikiki Beach has shrunk about a foot per year over five decades, scientists say
? Hawaii tries to reclaim beach with a sand-pumping test using offshore sand
? Experts says the iconic beach eventually will disappear without proper care
? Shoreline development reportedly is the main culprit in Waikiki Beach's erosion
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Along the sandy sliver that is Hawaii's world-famous Waikiki Beach, waves sometimes reach all the way across the beach to touch solid land.
At some points, the sparkling sand is wide enough for only two or three sun-soaked beachgoers to lay their bodies on the swath between solid land and Pacific Ocean waters.
State officials are testing a sand-pumping project in an attempt to reclaim the iconic beach after years of chronic erosion using offshore sand, without having to truck in sand from around Oahu, other Hawaiian islands or even other countries.
The beach has shrunk by about a foot per year over the past five decades as rough currents wear away the smooth surface, scientists say.
The erosion isn't caused by heavy use from the 70,000 tourists who trample over the islands each day.
The main culprit is a sand shortage caused by shoreline development, including sea walls and the loss of dunes buried by manmade structures, said Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawaii professor and expert in coastal geology.
"We sell Hawaii in the form of thousands of photographs of our beaches every year," Fletcher said. "If the beaches go away, we have a problem."
While the beach still satisfies millions of visitors annually, it's barely a sandbox compared with the vast expanses found a half-century ago. If it's not cared for, Waikiki Beach will eventually disappear entirely.
'The water is too close'
"It used to be big. Now it's crowded, and everyone is bunched together," Honolulu resident Ashley Granados said as she sat alongside a spot about 20 yards wide. "The water is too close."
Beach erosion is common worldwide, and the usual remedy is to truck in sand, but that hasn't been done in any major way at Waikiki since the 1970s. Sand has been imported from other areas of Oahu, Hawaii's Molokai island and -- if you believe local legends -- as far away as Australia.
Waikiki, whose sands bear different names in their stretch from near Diamond Head to the public boat harbor, steadily declined for most of the past 30 years. The plan is to dredge 10,000 cubic yards of sand from about a half-mile offshore, then pump it underwater back to the beach.
The $425,000 test program gives beach lovers hope that Waikiki could be restored to its original splendor, but officials have said it could cost $25 million to repair all of the beach.
Sand pumping has been used at other beaches, but rarely in Hawaii because of fears of disrupting the delicate ocean floor and a lack of funding. The Legislature set aside money for the project.
"Waikiki is probably best known for the fact that it's a major resort destination with sun, sand and surf," said Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association. "The health of Waikiki Beach is very central to Hawaii's image."
Just a walk across the street from Waikiki's hotels and shops, the beach periodically widens and narrows. Surfers wade out to catch the waves year-round, canoeists paddle, kids build sand castles and others bask in the sun.
At the pink stucco Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the beach stops entirely at a concrete wall. The ocean laps at the wall for several yards before the sand reappears.
Most visitors say they're still impressed with the beach that is so closely identified with the essence of Hawaii.
"We're just happy to be here," said Janet Corey from Canada, swimming with her daughters where the beach gets particularly thin. "Maintaining the beach seems to be the right thing to do, because that's why people come here."
State says plan environmentally friendly
Officials are replenishing certain sections of the beach at different times, which should minimize the effect on tourists during the busy winter season. The project, which started December 4, is expected to be completed in early January.
State officials say the plan to dredge and pump sand is environmentally friendly, because it recycles the same sand that was originally part of the beach.
If successful, they say the project could become a model for replenishing more of Waikiki and other fading Hawaiian beaches.
Just as a house must be repainted every few years, the beach will need to be the subject of constant vigilance if government officials want it to stay around, Fletcher said.
"If we want to keep the beach there, we have to keep maintaining it," he said. "Since 1970, we haven't been maintaining it. We've neglected our house."
Hawaii digs in to shore up Waikiki Beach
POSTED: 9:12 a.m. EST, December 25, 2006
Story Highlights
? Waikiki Beach has shrunk about a foot per year over five decades, scientists say
? Hawaii tries to reclaim beach with a sand-pumping test using offshore sand
? Experts says the iconic beach eventually will disappear without proper care
? Shoreline development reportedly is the main culprit in Waikiki Beach's erosion
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Along the sandy sliver that is Hawaii's world-famous Waikiki Beach, waves sometimes reach all the way across the beach to touch solid land.
At some points, the sparkling sand is wide enough for only two or three sun-soaked beachgoers to lay their bodies on the swath between solid land and Pacific Ocean waters.
State officials are testing a sand-pumping project in an attempt to reclaim the iconic beach after years of chronic erosion using offshore sand, without having to truck in sand from around Oahu, other Hawaiian islands or even other countries.
The beach has shrunk by about a foot per year over the past five decades as rough currents wear away the smooth surface, scientists say.
The erosion isn't caused by heavy use from the 70,000 tourists who trample over the islands each day.
The main culprit is a sand shortage caused by shoreline development, including sea walls and the loss of dunes buried by manmade structures, said Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawaii professor and expert in coastal geology.
"We sell Hawaii in the form of thousands of photographs of our beaches every year," Fletcher said. "If the beaches go away, we have a problem."
While the beach still satisfies millions of visitors annually, it's barely a sandbox compared with the vast expanses found a half-century ago. If it's not cared for, Waikiki Beach will eventually disappear entirely.
'The water is too close'
"It used to be big. Now it's crowded, and everyone is bunched together," Honolulu resident Ashley Granados said as she sat alongside a spot about 20 yards wide. "The water is too close."
Beach erosion is common worldwide, and the usual remedy is to truck in sand, but that hasn't been done in any major way at Waikiki since the 1970s. Sand has been imported from other areas of Oahu, Hawaii's Molokai island and -- if you believe local legends -- as far away as Australia.
Waikiki, whose sands bear different names in their stretch from near Diamond Head to the public boat harbor, steadily declined for most of the past 30 years. The plan is to dredge 10,000 cubic yards of sand from about a half-mile offshore, then pump it underwater back to the beach.
The $425,000 test program gives beach lovers hope that Waikiki could be restored to its original splendor, but officials have said it could cost $25 million to repair all of the beach.
Sand pumping has been used at other beaches, but rarely in Hawaii because of fears of disrupting the delicate ocean floor and a lack of funding. The Legislature set aside money for the project.
"Waikiki is probably best known for the fact that it's a major resort destination with sun, sand and surf," said Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association. "The health of Waikiki Beach is very central to Hawaii's image."
Just a walk across the street from Waikiki's hotels and shops, the beach periodically widens and narrows. Surfers wade out to catch the waves year-round, canoeists paddle, kids build sand castles and others bask in the sun.
At the pink stucco Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the beach stops entirely at a concrete wall. The ocean laps at the wall for several yards before the sand reappears.
Most visitors say they're still impressed with the beach that is so closely identified with the essence of Hawaii.
"We're just happy to be here," said Janet Corey from Canada, swimming with her daughters where the beach gets particularly thin. "Maintaining the beach seems to be the right thing to do, because that's why people come here."
State says plan environmentally friendly
Officials are replenishing certain sections of the beach at different times, which should minimize the effect on tourists during the busy winter season. The project, which started December 4, is expected to be completed in early January.
State officials say the plan to dredge and pump sand is environmentally friendly, because it recycles the same sand that was originally part of the beach.
If successful, they say the project could become a model for replenishing more of Waikiki and other fading Hawaiian beaches.
Just as a house must be repainted every few years, the beach will need to be the subject of constant vigilance if government officials want it to stay around, Fletcher said.
"If we want to keep the beach there, we have to keep maintaining it," he said. "Since 1970, we haven't been maintaining it. We've neglected our house."