Beaches are highly dynamic and changing landscapes. Beaches get sand from ocean currents which move sand along the beach. Healthy beaches allow for an ebb and flow of sand along the coastline.  

Hardened structures are damaging to beaches. Jetties and groins—structures which jut out from the shore into the ocean—increase erosion on adjacent beaches by disrupting the natural movement of sand. Terminal groins along the shoreline cause the public beach to scour and disappear. Terminal groins also magnify the impact of wave energy on adjacent properties, causing even more erosion.  
 
Senate Bill 832, CRC May Permit Terminal Groin, would authorize the Coastal Resources Commission—the body that is responsible for protecting the coast—to approve permits for the construction of terminal groins.  A groin is a hard structure that is built out into the ocean perpendicular to the shoreline. The groin traps sand on the updrift side, but causes erosion of sand on the downdrift side.
 
The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western North Carolina University identifies several negative effects of hardened structures on beaches. Hardened structures can:

• Reduce beach access
• Cause erosion of downdrift beaches
• Create potential hazard to swimmers 
• Reduce water quality by impeding circulation of water
• Impair aesthetics

North Carolina’s beaches are so beautiful because we have protected them from becoming armored with hardened structures. Some states, such as New Jersey, have lost many of their beaches due to just these kinds of structures. S832 is a dangerous bill that if passed, would allow these hardened structures on our beaches.
 
For more information on impacts of hardened structures on beaches, visit the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines: http://psds.wcu.edu/1043.asp. 
 
Download a 2 page description of how “groins” work and why they cause downdrift erosion by clicking here: http://www.ncconservationnetwork.org/documents/impactofseawalls