Beach Erosion in North Topsail Beach (NTB)

The Problem

 Rise in sea level is causing accelerated erosion of beaches along the Eastern seaboard of the United States.  North Topsail Beaches are eroding at the alarming rate of some two to three feet per year.   NTB oceanfront property owners that many years ago had a hundred feet of beach in front of their homes now find the ocean at high tide dangerously close to their property line.   At the extreme north end of NTB, where Topsail Island’s New River Inlet provides access to the Intracoastal Waterway, the problem is especially severe.  With erosion rates upwards of 20 feet per year, a dozen NTB homes have been condemned as water laps under their pilings.   Another 30 NTB properties are threatened.  

Potential Solutions

In order to stop the erosion, the challenge is to “hold back the ocean,” an immense body of water that extends some 4,000 miles from North Carolina to Africa.   North Carolina state law prohibits the use of hardened structures (sea walls, jetties, groins, etc.) to arrest beach erosion.   The only approach N.C. law permits is to deposit sand on the beaches to replace the sand that has been washed away.    This is done either by dredging sand from the ocean, or trucking in sand, a process called “Beach Nourishment (BN)”.   However, the newly deposited BN sand does not stay on the beach forever, as the rising seal level exerts the same erosion forces that washed away the original sand.   Depending on how much sand is used, the type of sand used, and the frequency and severity of storms, estimates for how long the BN sand will last range from two to four years.   In other words, the BN process needs to be repeated every two to four years. 

The Cost

North Topsail Beach has a shoreline of 11 miles.    A beach nourishment project for the entire 11 miles would cost approximately $40 million.   This cost would likely have to be repeated every two to four years.  To nourish just the northern most section of NTB’s beaches, that are currently experiencing the most severe erosion, along with realigning the New River Inlet, would cost approximately $7 million.

Who Would Pay for Beach Nourishment? 

In 1982 the federal government determined that due to the high risk of erosion and exposure to storms, to discourage development on the northern section of NTB, the area was designated a CBRA zone (Coastal Barrier Resources Act).  CBRA zones are not eligible for federal funds. Consequently, the cost for a Beach Nourishment project for most of NTB would have to be borne by NTB property owners or grants from the State of North Carolina.