Beaches

 How Can We Stop Beach Erosion?

   There is no one-size-fits-all answer to stop beach erosion.
Palm Beach County uses a  four-sided approach to combat beach erosion: dune restoration, inlet sand transfer, sand renourishment, and installation of support structures.  ERM oversees the continued management of public beaches and 2 inlets by implementing funding and/or managing projects that replace beach and dune habitat for people and nesting sea turtles. 

 

Inlets Designed To Combat Erosion

Inlets connect us to the Atlantic Ocean and are important for commerce and transportation.  Unfortunately, they also interrupt the natural flow of sand.  The north side piles up with sand while the south side becomes "sand starved".  In addition, waves and tides push sand into the inlet creating shoals. ERM oversees the management of South Lake Worth/Boynton Inlet  (SLWI) pictured and partners with the US Army Corps of Engineers to manage Lake Worth/Palm Beach Inlet (LWI).  Both inlets use techniques to restore the natural flow of sand:  a trap inside the inlet to capture incoming sand so that it can disbursed to beaches south and a pump station to transfer sand from the north side of the inlet to beaches south. The county's Roads and Bridges Department operates both plants which move 70,000 cubic yards (SLWI) and 100,000 cubic yards (LWI) of material every year.

 

Dunes Hold It All Together 

 It is easy to understand how the lower beach (below the hide tide line) is especially prone to erosion from waves, however, areas above the high tide line known as the dune also suffer from disturbance by wind and invasive plants.  Not only is the dune area important habitat to nesting sea turtles, it is also a vital source of replacement sand for the lower beach.  Dunes have special salt-tolerant vegetation like railroad vine and sea oats pictured below.  These plants can tolerate wind, salt, and lack of freshwater while at the same time collect and hold sand, like a reservoir for future sand needs.
To date, ERM has overseen the enhancement of 100 acres of dunes.

 

​Beach Sand Renourishment

   Much of our coastal areas have been developed resulting in a loss of dune habitat.  Without the dune "reservoir of sand" to help the lower eroded beach restore itself, sand has to be obtained from elsewhere - enter renourishment.   ERM oversees the continued renourishment of Jupiter Beach, Carlin Park, Juno Beach, and Ocean Ridge; all of which have a history of long-term erosion resulting in significant loss of beach frontage. Renourishment projects use heavy equipment to move large amounts of sand obtained from another area and contoured into a natural beach profile. 

"In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth."

Rachel Carson

Engineering Support Structures

  The last approach ERM uses to combat erosion when traditional renourishment projects are not viable or where there is an erosional "hot spot" is the installation of a structure engineered to keep the beach sand stable. This typically includes the construction of groins or breakwaters made from rocks like granite picture below or limestone. The nooks and crevices of the rocks used to build the structures also provide valuable habitat.

 

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Sea Grapes - A Sea Turtle Hatchling's Best Friend

 

• Native South Florida plant that grow along the coast
• Adapted to live in the harsh beach/dune environmental - salt & drought tolerant
• Large leaves catch wind driven sand stabilizing the dune
• Animals living along the beach get shelter from the large canopy, food from fruits, and nectar from flowers
• Act as a natural barrier to block out artificial light that can distract and disorient nesting sea turtles and hatchlings

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