Other beach communities south of the Outer Banks dealing with severe erosion besides Topsail Island include Figure Eight Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and the Village of Bald Head. At one time or another since 2011, each of these communities has been in varying stages of obtaining permits to build terminal groins. For the longest time, North Carolina was one of only two states, Oregon the other, that prohibited hard engineered erosion control structures on beaches for the purpose of protecting private property. That changed in 2011, when the General Assembly overturned this ban and allowed construction of up to four terminal groins at inlets where some of the most vulnerable beachfront properties are located. On Figure Eight Island, the terminal groin potentially would prevent the southward shifting of Rich Inlet from compromising the island’s north end. However, prohibitive costs caused homeowners to table efforts to build this terminal groin, for now.
In Holden Beach, the town has been routinely pumping sand onto the eastern end of the 8.1-mile-long barrier island for more than 50 years. Sandbags have also been placed along the shore throughout the years as a temporary means to protect a number of private homes at the east end of the island, abutting Lockwood Folly Inlet. And, while a terminal groin was available as a permanent solution to a chronic problem, it, too, was tabled. Residents cited the estimated $34.4 million cost associated with construction and the regular sand injections needed to supplement the structure over its estimate 30 years lifespan as too high a price tag.
For two decades, Ocean Isle Beach has been battling chronic erosion at its east end, where homes have been lost and roads repeatedly repaired. Public accesses have been replaced and water and sewer lines relocated, at a cost to the town of more than $3.5 million. The town tried to curb erosion by installing a sandbag wall and artificially building up dunes. Now, Ocean Isle Beach has received permission to build a 750-foot terminal groin. Town officials are now in the process of discussing how to pay for this $45.8 million project.
“We’ve searched for a solution for chronic erosion at the east end for a long time and we think this will be that solution,” an Ocean Isle Beach official, Debbie Smith, said of the terminal groin.
The residents of Bald Head Island are taking an equally aggressive approach to beaches threatened by erosion. In the last 30 years, The Village has spent more than $22 million to construct a “temporary” sandbag wall along South Beach in an effort to mitigate the northward shifting of the island, a shifting which forced the relocation of the country club. And, in 2011, armed with at least 25 years of shoreline monitoring data in hand, Village leaders and their engineer led the campaign for a terminal groin at South Beach. And, in 2016, an arm-like wall of boulders intended to stem severe shoreline erosion on South Beach, was constructed.
All that being said about the island communities south of the Outer Banks and their unsuccessful struggles against the ocean, might make you wonder about living along the coast. There is good news, however and that is to learn more about life in Emerald Isle, NC, along the Southern Outer Banks. Go to my website, www.EIHomesforSale.com and request my free Guide to Living Were You Vacation or text your email address to: 919-308-2292. Stay well and stay safe.
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