N.C. official: Coast management needs collaboration

Beach nourishment is a costly way to protect structures along a shoreline, but moving or removing buildings may be substantially more expensive.

Findings such as that - part of the data-crunching and analysis involved in developing the state's first comprehensive beach and inlet management strategy - expose the complexity of finding a balance between protecting and using coastal resources.

All the more reason for communities with similar challenges to work together, said Steve Underwood, assistant director of the state Division of Coastal Management.

The proposed Beach and Inlet Management Plan, or BIMP, will encompass economic, cultural and environmental snapshots of coastal areas, and some recommendations for management strategies, Underwood said at a meeting this week.

"The whole region could benefit from the partnership and combining resources," Underwood said in a later interview. "The whole point is you should lay out the issues that are important to you in that region."

Johnny Martin, a coastal engineer with Raleigh consultant Moffatt & Nichol, said in a presentation that depending on location and other factors, it could cost about $16,000 per linear foot for a buyout of a house worth about $1 million versus about $2,000 per linear foot for nourishment. That's a ratio of about a 7- to-1, he said.

Underwood said the plan divides the coast into nine regions because each has shared qualities. And it also makes them easier to manage. In general, he said, the northern part of the coast has more sand and fewer inlets than the southern end. It also has more erosion.

"On the Outer Banks," he said, "the reason the surfing is so good is because the waves are higher-energy."

Management practices that have been used in a region, such as dredging or construction of beach accesses, will be the boilerplate that each one can use to choose the best management option to address an issue.

Other methods can come into play as state law allows, Underwood said. New challenges such as sea-level rise are going to demand different management approaches to beach erosion and other coastal headaches.

"People want more tools in their toolbox," he said. "Trust me - there's no silver bullet out there."

Beaches and inlets translate to a lot of value on the Outer Banks, according to Moffatt & Nichol. Beach recreation expenditures in 2004 - the year of the latest available data - totaled $128 million in Hatteras village and on Ocracoke Island; $286 million in the other five Hatteras Island villages; $842 million on Bodie and Pea islands and in Dare County; and $79 million in Corolla.

Last month, the state Coastal Resources Commission voted to ask the General Assembly to start the process to create a BIMP trust fund with an annual appropriation. The fund would include federal and local matching funds for projects.

The final beach and inlet report is expected to be completed June 1, Underwood said. When it's done, he said, he hopes it will be considered worthy of federal stimulus money that can work for everyone on the coast.

"There's a lot of needs, and there's a lot of competing resources in these regions," he said. "So using your money in a region should be based on different strategies."

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com