NC Coastline Will Suffer from Senate Vote on Groins

The North Carolina Senate’s decision today to allow hardened structures, such as groins and jetties, on the state’s coastline could reverse decades of strong public policy to safeguard coastal communities and beaches.  In 1985,  banned the use of permanent hardened structures to control erosion threatening private property, a policy that established the state as a leader in protecting public access, recreation and tourism on the coast.  The bill now goes to the NC House.  Previous attempts to change the law have failed.

“Groins are just short-term solutions for long-term problems,” said Sarah Hagedorn, an oceans scientist with the regional office of Environmental Defense Fund.  “These structures can have massive impacts on fish that are economically important to the state.  They artificially change the rules for the way that sand and water and fish work together.  They cause more erosion on neighboring beaches.  They are a very bad idea.”

“Legislators should be discussing real-world policies that help us deal with the real-world change from stronger storms and sea level rise.  Our attention should be on how to adapt to changes that will affect  entire coastal communities, not just a handful of property owners,” said Hagedorn.