And, they say, it short-circuits the natural migration of sand that helped create the barrier islands in the first place. Coastal residents have tried for centuries to protect property against the rapid violence of storms and the long-term washing action of waves. Early projects used seawalls and jetties, only to find that hardened structures redirected erosion, stealing sand from areas nearby. Since the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has increasingly turned to pumping sand from offshore deposits, channel dredging or even onshore pits onto denuded shorelines. Beach rebuilding has taken place in every state along the Atlantic, Gulf Coast and Great Lakes.
Demand is likely to increase.
Hurricane forecasters believe that a three-decade lull in storm activity may have reversed with a series of Atlantic storms since 1996. Also, the 2000 Census shows Americans are moving into coastal areas from Maine to Mississippi faster than they're moving away. If the condo is lost, he argues, the town will lose tax revenues and the beach will no longer draw the tourists who support local paychecks. Garlock's quest for more sand led to a term on the town commission and membership in a local group pressuring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to commit to decades of further renourishment. About 15 years ago, Garlock's complex had a plateau of dunes about 110 feet out.