The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is working to get Carolina Beach’s Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project underway. Several representatives from the ACOE came to an open house on October 30th and provided information and answered questions about the upcoming beach nourishment project. CLICK HERE for a presentation given by the USACE.
Key points made at the meeting:
- The ACOE will build the project in accordance with the federally authorized template (same as seen in the past).
- The recent loss of sand will not lower the template as it is based on a specific surveyed height using a consistent baseline for elevation measurements called NAVD88
- The sand for the Carolina Beach project will be coming out of Carolina Beach Inlet. Different from years past, some of the sand for the Kure Beach portion will likely be coming out of the inlet as well. Once this borrow source is exhausted the contractor will move to the offshore borrow source.
- There will be pipe added down the beach starting at the inlet going south. The contractor will be building access points to the waters edge approximately every 400 feet.
In the attached presentation there is a link to a “Sand Placement Tracker”, and you can also CLICK HERE to show where work is being conducted and when the contractor anticipates being at different parts of the beach.
- Safety is a top priority for all involved. Please ensure you stay away from:
- All areas where work is being conducted
- All parts of the pipe that are not covered to create an access point.
- Freeman Park will remain open during the project; however access lanes will be limited due to the construction equipment near the entrance. Intermittent closures throughout the project may occur to avoid any safety issues when heavy equipment is being moved.
- The intracoastal waterway is also being dredged in several locations up and down NC’s coast including in the vicinity of Freeman Park. This is a separate project that will add more piping and sand on Freeman Park. Timeline for this project are anticipated to occur this winter but are dependent on when projects utilizing the same dredge further north are completed.
- While the sand for both projects is beach compatible, please use caution when walking on the new beach areas as there could be trash/debris mixed in with the sand.
- The project is anticipated to return in three years.
