As the following article by Chris Dixon from the New York Times points out, beach erosion is threatening coastal structures all along the East Coast, and many are questioning the wisdom of expensive and temporary beach fill projects. Plus, government funding sources are drying up and many local funding referendums have been voted down.
Meanwhile, in Florida and elsewhere, traditional sources of sand have been nearly exhausted and a recent request by Miami Beach to import sand from the Bahamas and Caribbean was rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
As Beaches Erode, So Do Solutions
By CHRIS DIXON
Published: November 2, 2007
Over the last decade or more, federal and state funds to restore beach sand have become increasingly scarce, as government officials, taxpayers and environmentalists have argued against spending hundreds of millions of public dollars for projects that often wash away after a few strong storms.
This has left Atlantic and Gulf Coast communities to develop their own solutions, often imposing what are referred to as sand taxes. But the potential for assessments of thousands of dollars — particularly in towns filled with vacation homes — has created a divisive issue that many homeowners, voters and elected officials have yet to solve.
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