Proposed bill could lift North Carolina’s decades-old ban on coastal jetties and groins
SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY-TV) — A proposed bill moving through the North Carolina legislature could bring major changes to how erosion is managed along the state’s coastline, reopening debate over whether hardened shoreline structures help protect beaches or create new problems.
The legislation, currently before the North Carolina Senate, would repeal a more than 40-year-old ban on jetties and groins along the state’s coast. Supporters say the structures can help fight erosion and stabilize shorelines, while critics argue they can worsen erosion elsewhere and permanently alter coastal systems.
At the north end of Ocean Isle Beach sits one of only two terminal groins currently in North Carolina. Terminal groins are hardened structures built to stabilize inlets and trap sand.
During a visit to Topsail Beach on Tuesday, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said hardened structures can create unintended consequences as coastal erosion worsens.
“Keeping a beach in its natural state is the best way to protect it,” Wilson said.
Wilson said as severe weather events increase erosion along the coast, hardened structures may simply shift the problem elsewhere.
“The more that we have structures and buildings on beaches, the more that we can create a problem of erosion, likely somewhere else,” he said.
Some Republican lawmakers support expanding the use of the structures. Among them is Onslow County Sen. Michael Lazzara, who backs the proposal and believes more terminal groins could help communities address erosion concerns.
“I think it’s long overdue,” said Jeff Wells, longtime North Topsail resident.
Wells said he has advocated for years for a terminal groin on the island.
“We spend a lot of money dredging and cleaning out these inlets, but a lot of the sand is being dragged in and a way to fix that is a terminal groin,” Wells said.
Wells said a groin on the island would redirect currents and allow sand to accumulate along the shoreline.
Ocean Isle Beach completed its terminal groin project in 2022 after a 2016 law authorized up to six structures statewide. Supporters point to before-and-after images showing additional sand accumulation near the project.
However, opponents argue the project also highlighted the downsides of hardened structures.
“Now east of that structure, there’s tremendous erosion,” said Kerri Allen, program director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation.
Near Ocean Isle Beach’s terminal groin, waves continue impacting newly built homes while sandbags line portions of the shoreline as homeowners try to protect their property.
Allen said decisions involving shoreline structures can have long-term consequences for coastal communities.
“Decisions this significant should involve meaningful public input and long-term thinking because, again, these aren’t temporary decisions. The impacts of hardened shoreline structures will last for generations,” Allen said.
The bill was filed at the end of April and, if approved, would take effect in September.
