Craig Jackson – April 25, 2024

Blackwater Reports values stakeholders’ diverse perspectives and input in addressing challenges that impact Currituck County. We acknowledge the importance of presenting a range of viewpoints, which is why we are openly publishing the unedited rebuttal to our report, “Currituck Beaches Gain Sand While its Neighbors Face Erosion.” Our findings were derived directly from the 2023 Beach Monitoring and Beach Stability Assessment, and while we have diligently analyzed the data, we recognize that we are not experts in this field.

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This is the unedited rebuttal by Dr. Edward Cornet, PHD:

I was very disappointed in the fluff piece written by staff entitled, “Currituck Beaches Gain Sand While its Neighbors Face Erosion”.   This is not up to your usually high standards of facts.  Whoever wrote it has little understanding of the county reports or of the beach erosion / beach nourishment phenomena.

As a PhD Physicist and a 30-year oceanfront homeowner in Corolla I have seen first-hand what is happening, but more importantly I have done the research to understand it.  As a former managing partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, Carolina business school professor and eight-year volunteer on Currituck County advisory boards I understand the economics.

Let me address some of key points made in the article.

A Unique Phenomenon: gaining sand rather than experiencing erosion

Erosion – Currituck’s beach is 23 miles long.  The Coastal Protection Engineering (CPE) reports and measurement data and the US Army Corps of Engineers measurement data show erosion along most of these 23 miles.   This data, summarized in Table 7 of the CPE 2023 Summary Report, shows that several miles of Corolla beachfront have lost more than 100 feet of beach since 2009.  The data in that table show only 5 of the 120 areas examined in their studies showed no erosion.   Currituck is losing beach width to erosion.

Gaining Sand – The CPE measurements are of sand elevation along 120 transect lines spaced about 1,000 feet apart and extending as much as a mile offshore.  Their report does indicate that the total sand in the system seems to have increased by a small percentage over the past couple of years.  But in my scientific opinion, after independently analyzing the data, the increase is within the margin of error of the data and almost entirely under water.    Not useful to attract tourists to the narrowing dry sand beaches.  Not useful to protect homes now a hundred feet closer to ocean storm waves.

The Study Recommendations –  

The gathering of engineering data is the scope of work for CPE.  They have done a good job. They are capable of identifying the most threatened areas, planning how to protect, estimating what it might cost, securing the permits and supervising the contractors to protect a risk areas.   Bu the County has never asked them to start the process.

What the county has also not done is consider the economic impact of their continued refusal to protect this small area of the county that generates more than half of the county tax revenues yet requires less than a quarter for services.  Occupancy Tax alone, 99% of which comes from the beach, generates almost $20M/year.  The two miles most threatened generate close to $100 million each year in tourist spending according to analyses I’ve done for the Economic Development Advisory Board and Land Use Plan using county tax data.

Danger Lurks Under the Sea – The federal government lists hundreds of successful projects along the east coast of communities protecting their beach tourism economies.  Neighbors work together to share costs at times to make the process less expensive for all.  Why has Currituck refused to cooperate with Dare to save money searching for sand sources far off-shore?

The Alteration of the Nearshore Shelf – 

Harvested sand for Currituck would be required by state and Federal regulations to come from miles off-shore, far enough away and deep enough to not effect future beach erosion or ocean currents.

Marine Habitats and Ecosystems – Yes, off-shore dredging will disturb undersea habitats.  However, replacement of sand lost to erosion on the narrow dry and shallow area just off the beach restores the habitat already lost to erosion by shorebirds, shellfish and for sea turtle nests. 

Water-Quality Issues – Currituck’s most threatened miles of beach are along subdivisions using septic fields.  Dune breaches by storms in these areas will likely lead to the over wash of many septic fields in these subdivisions.  Beach contamination would be a real issue.

A Temporary Solution

Yes, according to the Currituck Tourism department the beach tourism economy saves each Currituck family at least $3,000 per year in taxes.  To retain this the county has to continue the temporary solutions of weekly trash collections, daily drinking water creation, wase disposal.  Recycling the sand that is lost from its beaches will likely have to be repeated every five to ten years.  A strong beach tourism economy can afford it as a cost-of-doing business.  Can the county afford to lose its cash cow?

Long-Term Environmental Impacts

The Federal government has been tracking thousands of beach replenishment projects for more than 50 years.  They are very aware of protecting environmental concerns.   Currituck should do it carefully, but quickly before it suffers the long-tern economic impacts of losing pools, homes that the state will not let them rebuild. Further, they will permanently lose the tourist and investment dollars that are already being re-directed to beach areas who understand and care enough to take action to protect their investments.

For more information see my websites:  www.SaveOurBeach.net and www.Curriuck2030.com

Edward Cornet, PHD