The Coastal Zone 



Coastal Engineering 



Erosion is a common and often severe fonn of degradation of the coasts, 

 caused by the action of tides, currents, and hurricane-induced storm surges. 

 Vast areas of valuable land have been lost through erosion, and the land 

 washed away often deposits silt in navigation channels. Erosion may 

 introduce pollutants into the water, and the material deposited may suffocate 

 marine life. 



Shore stabilization and protection, carried out by the Army Corps of 

 Engineers, is well established as a Federal function. However, projects are 

 authorized and carried out one at a time in response to local requests, and 

 a longer range approach to setting priorities for such public Coastal Zone 

 works may be needed. 



Dredging is essential to waterborne commerce but can damage environ- 

 mental quality — disturbing the habitat of marine or marsh life. The Corps 

 of Engineers has long had the authority, under the River and Harbor Act 

 of 1899, to deny pennits to non-Federal interests for dredging, filling, and 

 excavation in navigable waters if the results would interfere with naviga- 

 tion. Recently, this authority has been interpreted to cover all activities 

 inimical to the public interest. The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior 

 concluded an agreement in 1967 whereby the Department of the Interior 

 will be consulted by the Corps of Engineers when issuance of a permit to 

 dredge or fill in estuaries or other navigable waters is pending. Such co- 

 ordination permits assessment of fish, wildlife, recreation and pollution 

 problems associated with the proposed dredging. 



The Department of the Interior and the Corps of Engineers also have 

 an agreement covering the disposal of material dredged from Federal 

 navigation projects in the Great Lakes area, which is designed to reduce 

 risks of water pollution damage. 



Research and engineering studies focused on the requirements for Corps 

 of Engineers construction projects are carried on at the Coastal Engineering 

 Research Center and by contract. Some of the major recent accomplish- 

 ments include : 



— inventory of offshore sand deposits suitable for beach use. Sub- 

 surface profiling by sonic techniques and coring of the sub-bottom 

 in 15 to 70 feet of ^vater was completed for selected offshore areas 

 of Florida, New Jersey and California, 

 —study of improvement of coastal inlets by dredging. Dredging of a 

 deposition basin was completed in the throat of Carolina Beach 

 Inlet, North Carolina; a surveillance program is being carried out 

 to determine the effects the basin will have on the natural channel 

 depths over the ocean bar. 



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