This presentation was presented at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011), held in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, from September 19th-21st. Organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the

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BEACH RENOURISHMENT & MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Scott P. Liggett, P.E.ScottL@hiltonheadislandsc.gov

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism ConferenceSeptember 19-21, 2011 – Hilton Head Island, SC

Presentation Overview

• Town’s Beach Management Program– Overview– Project History– Funding– Port Royal Sound Shoreline Restoration and

Stabilization Project

Town of Hilton Head Island, SC

54 square miles

13 miles of beach

Population – 40,000 (approx.)

Visitors 2,235,000 annually

56 miles of pathways

Incorporated in 1983

Approximately 1200 acres of Town Property – 144 Parcels

8 beach access parks

Island’s Sandy Shorelines

Port Royal Sound (Beach and Inlet Processes)

Atlantic Coast (Beach Processes)

South Beach (Beach and Inlet Processes)

Early Planning

• Incorporated Town immediately identified the need for a beach management strategy

• 1986 - Shore Protection Task Group was created

• Semi-annual beach monitoring initiated

Mid-1980 Beach Conditions/Issues

• Areas of Highly Erosional Shoreline

• Chronic Sediment Deficit (northern 2/3)

• Need for Comprehensive Protection of Upland

• Minimal Dry Beach (over 9,000 feet of oceanfront armoring)

• Potential impacts from Port Royal Sound Federal Navigation Project

Typical Pre-Project Conditions - North Forest Beach

Typical Pre-Project Conditions - The Folly

(1995)

Typical Pre-Project Conditions – Port Royal Sound

1995

Alternatives for Long-Term Strategy (1986)

• No Action

• Encourage Individuals to Protect Themselves (walls, limited sand placement, etc.)

• Restore and Maintain Entire Beach System with Comprehensive Approach

(Initial Program Philosophy)

Program Foundation• Comprehensive Beach Restoration

• Comprehensive Beach Monitoring

• Strategic use of shore-stabilizing structures to improve performance/increase longevity of beach nourishment

• Use of near-island sand sources, as available

• Attempt to control seaward advancement of development and protect beach/dune resources

Benefits of Comprehensive Beach Management Program

• Recreational – Provides/maintains recreational amenity for tourists and residents

• Storm/Erosion Protection – Provides/maintains buffer between ocean and upland

• Environmental – Maintain beach habitat for turtles, birds, etc.

• FEMA Benefits - Increase in “open space”

Beach Monitoring

Island-wide Beach Monitoring Program• 51 Beach Monitoring Stations (32 original)

• Semi-annual survey data dating back to 1986

• Annual Aerial Photography

Overall Beach Conditions• Shoreline Position Change Rates• Beach volume status/change rates

Comprehensive Project Planning

Hilton Head IslandBeach Monitoring Stations

August 20, 2008

Hilton Head IslandBeach Fill Project History

1990 - Initial Restoration of Atlantic Shorefront

1997 - Renourishment of Atlantic Shorefront - Channel Relocation (Port Royal Plantation) - Restoration of a Portion of the Port Royal Shoreline

- Terminal Groin at the Folly

1999 - South Beach Emergency Beach Fill Project

2006/07 – Renourishment of Atlantic Shorefront- Renourishment of Port Royal Plantation- Renourishment of South Beach- Restoration of Fish Haul/Spa- Six Detached Breakwaters at the Folly

Project History

1990 – Atlantic Restoration

1997 – Atlantic Renourishment/Port Royal Restoration / Channel Relocation

1999 – South Beach Restoration/220,000 cy

2006/07-Atlantic-Port Royal-South Beach Renourishment / Fish Haul Restoration

Program Summary

• Approximately 7.5 MCY placed

• Approximately 5.5 MCY remain

• Atlantic shorefront is ~ 200 wider, on average, than pre-1990 conditions

• Construction Cost To-Date: ~$40 Million

Program Performance

• Highly Successful Program; performance of nourishment

projects have far exceeded program expectations

• Island-wide improvement in beach and dune conditions

• Significant increase in access for recreational users/public

• Reliable buffer between ocean and upland

• Improved Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat

• Critical Habitat Designation – Piping Plover

Cumulative Beach Volume ChangeHilton Head Island Beach Nourishment – Atlantic Ocean Project Shoreline

1986-201119

86

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Year

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

6.5

Beac

h Vo

lume

(milli

ons

of cy

)re

lativ

e to

the

Febr

uary

1990

(pre

-pro

ject)

cond

ition

-166,400 cy/yrloss rate

-100,100 cy/yrloss rate

1990 Pre-ProjectPerformance Prediction-164,000 cy/yr loss rate

-37,200 cy/yr(4.1 years)

1990

Pro

ject

1997

Pro

ject

2006

/07

Proje

ct

Benefits of Program

2006 – Project Completion

North Forest Beach

Palmetto Dunes

Pre-1990ShorelineLocation

1989

2001

Benefits of Program

1989

2001

Benefits of Program

Return on InvestmentRecent inquiry / criticism:

“beach renourishment is expensive”

2008 appraised valuations * ~ $2.8 Billion

2011 appraised valuations * ~ $3.9 Billion

2010 tax revenue ~ $31.5 Million

*First row only, not including golf courses which may have ocean frontage but are primarily large inland tracts of land

Beach Preservation Fee(Established in 1993)

• 2% accommodation tax on overnight, short-term (less than 90 days) lodging

• Preservation, maintenance, nourishment, renourishment, and improvement to the beaches and facilities related thereto

• Generates approximately $4.4 M annually

Other Typical Historic Beach Preservation Fee Expenditures

• Land Acquisition (open space preservation)

• Park Development• Support Facilities (Public Works)

• Natural Resources (sea turtles, plovers, dune plantings, etc.)

• General Fund Transfer (prorated portions of salaries, etc.)

• Establish Fund Balance ($13 million)

To-date, the Town has:

• Purchased beachfront land at a cost of approximately $20,000,000

• Constructed 8 beach parks providing 1401 parking spaces and pedestrian access to the beach

• Incurred $400,000 annual maintenance costs• Constructed 3 large-scale restoration/ renourishment

projects (including the use of structures) placing more than 7 million cubic yards of sand at a total cost of ~$40,000,000 (1986-present)

Joiner Bank History

Recent Shoreline Change Conditions at ‘The Heel”

Port Royal Beach Restoration and Stabilization Project

Directive of Council – Aug. 2006

Multi-beam high resolution bathymetric survey – Oct. 2007 – Aug. 2008

Seismic sub-bottom survey

North Island Shoreline Change Study – Aug. 2008 (update to 1994 investigation)

Vibracores – Conducted Dec. 2008 – Jan. 2009

Remote Sensing Survey – Apr. 2009

Wave refraction/diffraction Modeling – August 2009

Biological Assessment – Piping Plover Critical Habitat – August 2009

Project Permit Application – Made Sept 16, 2009, issued December 2, 2010

Proposed Plan of Action toAddress Heel Shoreline Erosion

• Beach Nourishment with Shore Stabilizing Structure

• Stabilize High Rate of Erosion at Heel and Incorporate Area into Future Renourishment Projects

Areas Most Likely to Need Future Nourishment

• Heel Shoreline

• North Forest Beach/Palmetto Dunes Shoreline

Future Program

Approach• A paradigm shift in the beach management program

• The future objectives should focus on maintaining conditions rather than striving to continually widen the beach

• Recent observations suggest that smaller projects in the future may be sufficient to maintain beach conditions

• Following completion of the Port Royal Shoreline Restoration and Stabilization Project in 2011, island-wide periodic nourishment projects may only need to be about 60 percent of the size of the past projects

Thank You

BEACH RENOURISHMENT & MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Scott P. Liggett, P.E.ScottL@hiltonheadislandsc.gov

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism ConferenceSeptember 19-21, 2011 – Hilton Head Island, SC