Wednesday, May 21, 2014

New sand renourishes my soul

It's hard to have fun at the beach if there is no beach. And you can't really have a beach without sand. (Heck, you couldn't even call it "the beach" if there's nowhere to put your feet, your cooler or your umbrella. It would just be "the ocean!") 

We knew when we first bought Our Beach Place that the closest section of beach was, eh, sparse at high tide. But we didn't care so much to not get it. Well, within the past year, a beach renourishment project took place, and the difference is night and day. Whereas before the ocean water came up to the rocks that line the dunes at high tide, now I don't think I've ever seen more beach on the North Carolina coast. It's remarkable. 

Well, more good news (and sand) is on the way as Congress announced it will continue to fund federal renourishment aid to Carolina Beach, according to WWAY. This is GREAT news.

Carolina Beach's 50-year renourishment project was set to expire this year. That left the possibility of finding a way to use state and local funds only to pay for the multi-million-dollar sand replenishment projects. Instead, the WRRDA authorizes a three-year extension of coastal storm damage projects scheduled to expire in the next five years, including Carolina Beach. It also creates a process by which successful projects can be extended by up to 15 years with the help of federal funds.