The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has executed an agreement with Dare County, North Carolina, granting the county access to up to 6.6 million cubic yards of sand from the Outer Continental Shelf to restore 11.6 miles of beaches.
The agreement is an effort to protect coastal communities from the impacts of climate change. The project, which begins in 2022, will protect local infrastructure and property, restore beaches and aid in the recovery from damage caused by storms.
"BOEM is proud to work with Dare County to provide valuable sand resources to improve coastal resilience, protect coastal infrastructure and provide recreational opportunities for surrounding communities,” BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said in a release.
Dare County’s long-term shoreline management program is intended to protect popular Atlantic Coast beaches in the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, all located on a narrow strip of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. The economy in Dare County is driven by the beaches of the Outer Banks where the year-round population of 37,000 grows up to 300,000 in the summer. Tourism and outdoor recreation account for $1.4 billion in direct spending in Dare County.
Persistent powerful storms along the coastal United States coupled with sea level rise has led to a need to restore and protect coastal communities and habitats. BOEM partnered with coastal communities like Dare County to address the erosion along coastal beaches, dunes, barrier islands and wetlands. Dare County prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that considered the use of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sand for a nourishment event along the shoreline within the Towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, areas severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian and naturally occurring erosion.
