FAQ's
1. Why does the Village need an engineered beach restoration
program?
The simple answer is because Bald Head Island is eroding,
particularly along South Beach and West Beach. The other reason
is that the current federal efforts to address the problem are
not enough. According to the Environmental Assessment, “The goal
of the Village’s (Base) project is to ensure that South Beach in
its entirety remains in an improved non-critically eroded
condition and to augment West Beach.”
2. What is the “Base Project”?
The Base Project is the Village’s own beach nourishment project
separate and distinct apart from the on-going federal effort to
place sand on South Beach as part of the Corps operation &
maintenance of the channel.
Currently, when the Wilmington District USACE dredges the
Wilmington Harbor Entrance Channel, they place some of the
dredged sand on BHI in accordance with the Wilmington Harbor
Sand Management Plan (SMP) design template. Ideally, no
additional sand would be needed to maintain the beaches on Bald
Head Island, but the fact is the federal supply of dredged sand
is not enough to do the job.
The Base Project,” designed by Olsen & Associates, is the
Village’s own project intended to bridge the four-year gap
between federal dredging/sand placement project and kick-start
the restoration and maintenance of South Beach. Our goal is to
ensure that when the USACE adds its dredge sand in the future,
the beach is not entirely eroded away, leaving us with a sand
deficit and a disappearing beach once again.
Put another way, the Base Project is like filling your gas tank
when you have a quarter tank left and you know you have a
hundred miles still to drive. Like a prudent driver, the Base
Project fills the “sand” tank without gambling on a gas station
somewhere down the road. It’s better to keep the tank at least
half full and the beach reasonably wide.
With a Base Project in place, South Beach has a very good chance
of being wide and healthy until the federal dredging cycle comes
around again. By acting now, the Base Project will enhance the
level of protection of upland development and infrastructure and
maintain one of our wonderful attractions: the beach.
3. What is causing the erosion problem?
The precise reasons why the portions of BHI are eroding is
complex and the subject of study by the US Army Corps of
Engineers, the Village, and its consulting engineers at Olson &
Associates. There is little question, however, that recent
changes to widen and deepen the Wilmington Harbor Entrance
Channel have increased erosion on BHI. The following excerpt
from the Environmental Assessment (available in the “Project
Documents” link on this website) explains it this way:
Since about 1974, beach erosion experienced at Bald Head Island,
NC has been principally manifest as chronic and severe shoreline
recession along South Beach (most particularly the western
portion) and a portion of West Beach. In the net, the island’s
erosion is the apparent result of several combined factors: (1)
divergent alongshore littoral transport gradients at South
Beach, (2) tidal currents and proximity to the Cape Fear River
Entrance, and (3) long-term morphological changes in island
configuration and offshore ebb tidal shoal formations due to
both initial navigation channel construction and, more recently,
entrance channel deepening and realignment.
The existence of both Jay Bird Shoals and Bald Head shoals in
their current linear depositional configurations are a direct
result of the federal navigational project and associated
channel improvements over time. These shoal features are
relatively modern and man-altered ebb-tide dominated formations.
Prior to the maintenance of the Wilmington Harbor Navigation
Project entrance channel, the original naturally occurring ebb
tidal platform was relatively broad and continuous and
positioned at a much more landward location. Moreover, the
shallow nature of the historical bar served to allow for the
natural wave-induced bypassing of sand from the west to Bald
Head Island.
Subsequent to navigation channel construction through the outer
bar in the late 1800’s, and in particular, since its continual
high-frequency maintenance at a significantly deepened
configuration (post 1972), all natural sand bypassing to Bald
Head Island has been eliminated. Until recently, most sand
dredged from the entrance channel for the purpose of maintaining
navigability has been transported to the Wilmington Ocean
Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS) – thereby removing the
beach quality sediment from the littoral system. The long term
net result has been the deflation of the nearshore shoals
seaward of Bald Head Island and a reconfiguration of the South
Beach shoreline nearest the Cape Fear River.
4. What is the Village proposing to do?
The Village is moving forward with an engineered beach project
–- called the Base Project -- intended to preserve the entirety
of the South Beach shoreline. A portion of West Beach will also
be included in the nourishment project since it has suffered
significant erosion and is not typically addressed by federal
sand placement activities under the SMP. The volume of sand
placed during the Village’s Base Project should be sufficient to
address past beach erosion and the erosion expected to occur
until the next federal dredging/sand placement project occurs,
tentatively scheduled for 2011.
The Base Project “design volume” is expected
to be about be about 2 million cubic yards of sand (as measured
in-place for payment). The gross volume excavated will be 10-25%
higher than the pay volume. Approximately 5% or less of the
total dredge volume would be placed on West Beach.
5. Who is designing the engineered beach?
The Village’s long-time coastal engineering
consultant, Olsen Associates, Inc, is designing the Base
Project. The project team is lead by Erik J. Olsen, P.E.,
Principle Engineer and President of Olsen Associates. For more
information, visit the Olsen Associates website at
www.olsen-associates.com .
6. When is the Base Project scheduled to begin?
Regulatory requirements and permits are the biggest factors
driving the schedule for the Base Project. Presently, the
Village expects the project to begin in September 2009, however,
if regulatory agencies delay action on the required permits, the
schedule could slip to 2010.
We will be posting regular project updates on the site so check
out the Project Schedule link from time to time for the latest
schedule.
7. How much will the project cost?
The Final cost for the project won’t be known until the design
and permitting are complete and the project is put out for bid.
However, for planning purposes – and based on best professional
judgment – the Base Project is expected to cost $15,000,000.
8. Who is paying for the project?
Working with the Village and the community this summer, a
project financing plan will be developed. One thing we do know
is that the federal funds – either from Congress or through the
USACE – will not be available to help pay for the Village’s Base
Project. The expected contributors to the Base Project include:
The State of North Carolina
The Village of Bald Head Island
Local Accommodation Tax revenues (both currently accumulated and
future revenues)
Some form of assessment on property which benefits from the
project
9. How will the financing plan be developed?
The Village has retained Peter A. Ravella Consulting to help
develop the financing plan. Beginning July 10, PARC will host
two charettes or town meetings to discuss the project, its cost,
potential funding sources, and how best to develop a sound
financial foundation for the maintenance of our beaches. All the
materials and presentations (Audio and/or video recording may be
available too) from the charette will be posted on this site so
residents who were not in town can keep up with the process and
participate in the process through the on-line Discussion Board.
PARC will monitor the board and participate in the on-line
discussions, so if you have questions or suggestions on the
plan, you will be able to speak directly to PARC.
Following the charettes and based on input from the community,
PARC will develop a first draft financing plan, which will be
distributed to the BHI community and posted on this website.
More community workshops will follow for those who are in town
and discussion and input on the plan will continue to occur
on-line. As the plan is refined, it will be made available to
the community until a PARC has prepared a recommended plan,
which will be distributed to the community and presented to the
Village for consideration.
PARC expects to complete the financial planning process by
Thanksgiving. So please visit the site, review the materials as
they are developed and help us prepare a financing plan
that is fair and equitable.
