January 14, 2019
RE: Nags Head Beach Nourishment 2019*
We wish to inform you that the Town of Nags Head will be conducting a beach nourishment project starting in May of this year and lasting possibly through October. Beach nourishment is the process of pumping sand onto an eroding shoreline to widen the existing beach. Sources of sand may include a nearby sandbar, a dredged source such as an inlet or waterway, or an offshore borrow site along the ocean floor. The widened shoreline provides increased defense from coastal storms and beach erosion protecting property, communities and infrastructure located along the shoreline.
Plans call for sand to be placed on 10 miles of beach from the Bonnett Street public beach access at 2919 S. Virginia Dare Trail (near Mile Post 11) south to the town line with the National Park Service (near Mile Post 21). The Town does not expect to have a schedule for the project until late April 2019, and even then, the schedule will likely change often due to potential storms and/or other unforeseen events.
More than one section of the beach could be impacted during the project, and the project progression will likely not be linear, meaning that it won’t start at one end of town and proceed to the other end. We will soon have a link on our website’s homepage for beach nourishment information, which will include a current schedule, when available.
About 1,000 feet of the beach will be directly impacted during construction at any one time, and a portion of this area may be closed. Construction is anticipated to impact properties between 3-6 days. Once a section is pumped into place it should be re-opened for use within 24-48 hours. Sand ramps will be placed over a temporary pipeline at every public access and then in intervals of no more than 200-300 feet, allowing people to get across and enjoy the beach seaward of the pipeline.
Depending upon the location of the operations, ocean front and ocean side homes may experience temporary construction noise, night illumination, and/or beach access diversions. If construction limits access directly in front of your property, you may need to enter the beach at an alternate beach access.
Beach nourishment is vital to the future of Nags Head, and we ask for your patience and understanding while this work is underway.
Thank you for your understanding in keeping our beaches great!
*More information can be found at https://www.darenc.com/departments/public-relations/beach-nourishment and https://www.nagsheadnc.gov/, where you can sign up to receive email updates.
