March 14, 2018 - Finally Planning to Do Something?

Dear Commissioners,

I understand that you will be having a work session on beach nourishment next Monday.  Unfortunately as I will be out of town, but I'd like to help clarify a few points in this email that some of you have raised in the past.  Any questions or issues with what I am saying please let me know.
0. This is a critical issue for the County. More than a million tourists come to Currituck beaches every year.  The beach area represents 55% of Currituck's property tax base and generates more than 65% of its tax revenues.  All beach property value is degraded as the beaches degrade.  The oceanfront properties alone are about 16% of the total County tax base.  As we found out in 2013 when beach property values degrade, taxes on the mainland go up.  The results in 2021 are on your watch.

1. The entire Beach Strand is open to the public in North Carolina even when the land is privately owned. (implying a public responsibility to assist in maintenance)  In our tourism area the important section is the Dry Sand Beach that is between the mean high tide line and the toe of the dune.  This is where beach goers put their blankets, chairs and tents.  The Recreational Beach measured in the Pine Island study also includes the Wet Sand Beach that is over-washed daily by tides, and the Surf Zone that is always underwater.  (During the Land Use Plan I put together a version of the graphic below and confirmed the legal access issues with Ike McRee)

All Currituck Beaches are Public Access Beaches

2. Tidal variations as reported by NOAA for the Duck Station (below) indicate that over a month high tides reach two feet above mean sea level with low tides as low as 3 feet below mean sea level  (NAVD scale used by land surveyors)  Thus the dry sand beach for our tourists starts at an elevation of 2 feet above sea level (NAVD) and extends to the toe of the dune.  The width and elevation of the Dry Sand beach determines how many people our beach can accommodate in the summer, i.e. how crowded our beach seems.

The elevation is very important.  As was noted in the Daily Advance the beach elevation dropped three feet in the recent storm.  The lower the beach the more likely it is to be washed over at high tide when there are large waves.  At the current elevation normal high tides are washing all the way to the toe of the dune in many places.   Source of graphic below: NOAA

3.  The USACoE and NCDENR report long term erosion rates for the Currituck beaches as shown below. Fortunately Pine Island and the southern half of Corolla have erosion rates significantly less than the northern part of Corolla as shown below.   These erosion rates determine how quickly the ocean is approaching oceanfront property.  Corolla alone has 575 oceanfront parcels listed in the tax records with a total assessed value of $821 million.  Part of the beach surveying that should be done is how close real property is to the ocean today and then calculate how much time before the ocean is likely to encroach upon it.  I have estimated this for my subdivision using the GIS aerial photography taken in 2016. Ten percent of the homes have pools already breached last week with 50% of the pools threatened within 17 years at the current erosion rates.  The homes are set further back but the first one will fall prey to the ocean in 13 years and 50% within 37 years.  Harry Lee - the County's GIS guru - could get a benchmark for all oceanfront properties from the 2016 aerial surveys.   Source: CSE Study Report

4. For future measurements the County should consider a more refined breakout of our Recreational Beach Zone to measure the amount of sand in the three components of the "Recreational Beach": dry sand, wet sand and outer surf zone: especially the width and elevation of the dry sand beach.  Source: The 2015 Pine Island Study Coastal Science and Engineering.

Thanks for taking the time to read this far.   When I return in April I'd be glad to meet with you to answer any questions you may or address any issues you may see with my analysis.  With a clear set of factual information you will be better able to make the best decisions for the citizens of the County.

Regards,

Ed Cornet