Beaches of the Gulf Coast

4. Human Impact on Gulf Beaches

4 Human Impact on Gulf Beaches M OST of the world population lives within an hour’s drive of a beach. The influence of humans on the coast has been extensive and intensive , and it will continue in the future. The entire coastal system has been impacted by various human activities: the dunes, estuaries, tidal inlets, and most certainly, the beaches. This discussion includes the spectrum of human influence on the beaches going back to some of the early efforts to protect and/or control coastal change. Since the 1960s we have made changes in how we manage the coast, including the beaches. These changes have been aimed at being less intrusive into coastal dynamics and have provided more aesthetic methods for beach management. Human efforts to control some of the changes that beaches experience focus on coastal erosion and inlet management. There have been numerous approaches to these efforts, some that work pretty well and others that definitely do not. The US Army Corps of Engineers has led the way in the effort to eliminate or moderate beach erosion problems. They have taken considerable criticism over the years because of their approaches to coastal management. Most recently the Corps, as it is commonly known, has moderated its approach and the public has been appreciative of their efforts. Now all Gulf Coast states also have agencies that are responsible for coastal management and for regulating various activities there, especially construction. Typically it is necessary to obtain permits for any type of coastal modification from both the federal (Corps) and state government agencies. The current system is not perfect, but it works much better than in the past, and the coast has benefited greatly from this cooperation . 65 66 General CharaCTerisTiCs and dynaMiCs of BeaChes shore-Parallel structures Beach erosion is widespread and has been going on ever since beaches have existed. It has been a “problem” only since human development has led to construction along the coast. This activity has placed a price tag on beach erosion as houses and commercial buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The first reaction to such events is to protect the property from further erosion. A wide range of protective measures has been used, some helpful and others not. Placing something along the problem shoreline has been the first line of defense. Such efforts have been quite varied over time with the cost of protection being a significant limiting factor. The most primitive approach is to place some type of heavy material at the point of erosion and hope for the best. Large boulders of various rock types have been used (figure 4.1). In some locations they have simply been piled along the erosion scarp without any attempt at organization . In other examples, each piece of rock is carefully placed to provide a very stable rock wall (figure 4.2). This type of material is commonly called riprap and represents one of the least expensive approaches to shoreline protection. Some locations have experienced rather absurd methods of protection.The eastern coast of Lake Michigan has experienced erosion of high bluffs upon which sit residential developments. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, junk cars were placed on these bluffs to prevent further erosion (figure 4.3). This technique was illegal, but it took place before strict rules of shoreline protection were adopted. Another approach is to use geotextile tubes, very large plastic tubes placed strategically along the shoreline and pumped full of sand to produce a substantial barrier to prevent further erosion (figure 4.4). They are designed and placed to eventually be covered with sand, thus presenting an aesthetic coastal condition. Problems do occur with vandalism (cutting the bags) and storms that cause the bags to break. However, when this happens, there are methods of patching small tears or cuts, and if broken badly, the clothlike material can be extracted and discarded, thus returning the beach to a natural condition. In the past, before permits were required, people put whatever was available at the point of erosion at some locations, including tree limbs, broken-up concrete, or other aesthetically unpleasing materials. Cost was a major factor, and most of this type of protection was done by an individual property owner or a small group of owners. 67 hUMan iMPaCT on GUlf BeaChes Figure 4.1. Boulders along the backbeach to help stop erosion. Figure 4.2. Protection provided by well...