WWAY INVESTIGATION: Is beach renourishment worth the money?

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Surf, sand and sun are big draws for southeastern North Carolina. In fact, our beaches keep much of our economy afloat, but they take a lot of maintenance.

Beach nourishment, dredging inlets, and building structures all help prevent erosion, and preserve our coastline. They, however, take time, man-power, and most importantly, money. So, is that all worth it, and what is the best method?

It all depends. We take a closer look in a WWAY investigation: Fighting Mother Nature.

Sandbags are the only defense David and Vonecille Litz have been able to put up against the waves pounding their home in Oak Island.

“It’s wiped the concrete walkways down, and washed all that sand away,” David Litz said.

Vonecille Litz said she and her husband have spent almost $50,000 on the sandbags. They had to put up the barrier when Lockwood’s Folly Inlet started eroding the beach outside they’re home a year ago.

Spencer Rogers, a coastal engineer and geologist with North Carolina Sea Grant was out at the Litz’ home Thursday. He helps homeowners deal with these kinds of issues. He said Lockwood’s Folly Inlet, like many others, oscillates back and forth, and has highly-variable shorelines.

“What we’re seeing here is something that occurred in the exact same area back in 1979 or so,” Rogers said.

Back then, according to Rogers and the Litz, some of the threatened houses were moved farther away from the beach. The Litz said they actually used to own one of those houses. It now sits across the street from the one they’re losing to the ocean.

“You wonder sometimes why would these be buildable lots when you knew, in so many years, that it was going to erode again,” Vonecille Litz said.

Now that the environmental history is repeating itself, Rogers suggests repeating the historic solution for these homes.

“These piling-supported houses are very easy to pick up and move. They’re relatively light-weight, and the thing that gets them in trouble is the width and height if they have to run into power lines. But, all the power lines are buried here, so that’s not an issue,” Rogers said.

Oak Island town manager Steve Foster said he hopes dredging, instead of moving, will be the solution.

“What we’re looking at doing is moving sand from the channel behind the island that’s filled in from deep sand, and we’re going to dredge and transport that over to the beach, where the problem area is,” Foster said.

According to Foster, the project will cost more than $3.5 million. Brunswick County will provide $500,000, and the state will cover $1.77 million. Oak Island will match the state’s contribution.

“The total bill is coming out of accommodation taxes. That’s taxes we charge for the rentals, and this is going to save the rentals,” Foster said.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, North Carolina’s beach and windstorm insurance plan is covering a lot more properties like the one the Litz own. Since 2004, there’s been a 200 percent increase in policies. Insurance does not cover the Litz’ losses, though.

“Nothing will cover that,” Vonecille Litz said.

As Rogers inspected the threatened homes near Lockwood’s Folly Inlet, he said Oak Island’s dredging and nourishment project, that’s set to start in March, probably won’t solve the problem in the long run.

When there was a similar problem around Mason Inlet in 2002, crews had to relocate the waterway to rescue Shell Island Resort and other properties on Wrightsville Beach. That project cost $8 million.

“Almost all the inlets change more rapidly than the ocean front shorelines somewhat distant from them, ” Rogers said.

For those shorelines, Greg Williams with the US Army Corps of Engineers says beach nourishment, or coastal storm damage reduction projects, do work. Williams helps design those projects for Carolina, Kure, Wrightsville and Ocean Isle beaches.

“There are damages reduced by putting that sand on it. So, we compare how much damage you’d have if you didn’t have a project, and how much damage you would have if you did have a project. The differences in those damages is called the benefit,” Williams said.

The coastal storm damage reduction benefit to cost ratios, or BCR, vary by project. Each BCR is based on 50 years of continuing construction. For example, Ocean Isle Beach has a BCR of 1.9. That means every dollar spent provides about $1.90 in benefits to the project on average over the 50-year period. Williams said their nourishment projects have come out with a BCR above 1.

There are a lot of dollars spent on those projects, too. North Carolina Department of Natural Resources numbers show in 2013 and 2014, federal, state, and town governments spent $25.8 million on nourishment projects in Wrightsville, Carolina, Kure and Ocean Isle beaches. The federal government pays 65 percent, then state and town governments split the 35 percent. That equals about $9 million.

Many state and town leaders say spending that much on our beaches is worth it because the tourists help pay for it. A U.S. Travel Association study said the economic impact of tourism equaled a combined $948 million for New Hanover and Brunswick Counties in 2013.

That money can’t pay for it all, though. That’s why Brunswick County Commissioner Scott Phillips said he wants to find a recurring funding source, or look at putting in terminal groins, or sea walls.

“Whether it be a hardened structure or some other means, but we have to protect our beaches, ” Phillips said.

While structures like terminal groins are comparable in cost, UNCW coastal geologist Andrea Hawkes said they can ruin the look of one beach, as they take sand away from another.

“There’s no kind of magic wand. We’ve put the structures there. They’re in the way. We just kind of have to deal with the repercussions of whatever decisions people make,” Hawkes said.

There will probably be more people on the coast who will be part of those decisions. U.S. Census Bureau stats show the population on North Carolina’s coast has increased by about 470,000 since 1960.

“Now, we have hundreds of thousands of people living at the coastline, and so no matter what you do, you’re increasing the threat,” Hawkes said.

David and Vonecille Litz just hope they can fight off the threat from Mother Nature until their fellow man can come to their rescue.

Oak Island town manager Steve Foster said he hopes to lobby lawmakers in Raleigh to get more financial support from them. He added that he hopes to get the dredging project permits by Feb. 23 to start by March.