5. Summary and Conclusions 



The first section of this chapter gives a summary of the overall relevant coastal processes, and 

 the second section summarizes beach and dune change at the properties of the two test plaintiffs, 

 Applegate and Noro. The estimates of the changes were derived from FDEP and USACE beach- 

 profile measurements and from numerical calculations of storm-induced beach and dune erosion 

 as documented and discussed in previous chapters. 



5.1. Coastal-Processes Assessment 



The primary objective of this assessment was to document the impact of the construction, 

 operation, and maintenance of Canaveral Harbor on the properties of the plaintiffs and to 

 quantify shoreline recession and losses of sand volume associated with beach change (with focus 

 on the properties of the two test plaintiffs). The causes of shoreline erosion and recession were, 

 therefore, identified and quantified. Two hypotheses guided the study approach: (1) the position 

 of the shoreline is primarily controlled by changes in longshore sand transport and, therefore, is 

 influenced by the presence of the Canaveral Harbor entrance and (2) erosion and recession of the 

 beach and dune are primarily associated with storms and cross-shore sand transport. The action 

 and damage produced by storms have a weak, if any, dependence on the presence of the Harbor 

 entrance. 



After reviewing pertinent documents and compiling and analyzing existing and new' data sets, 

 a determination of Harbor-induced impacts on the beach was derived. Long-term regional 

 changes in the beach were evaluated by analysis of shoreline-position and beach-profile survey 

 data. An assessment of storm-induced erosion of beaches and dunes representative of the 

 conditions at the properties of the two test plaintiffs was also made. The (significant) erosion of 

 the beaches and dunes was estimated by reference to storm information and data. These data 

 were input to a numerical model that calculates storm-induced beach and dune erosion. The 

 extent of Harbor-induced impacts on downdrift beaches was determined with historical 

 shoreline-position data for the period April 1948 to February 1970 for quantifying the response 

 of the natural beach (prior to the major fill of 1974/75). Analysis of NOS data sets by the FDEP 

 and in this study produced the same general trends. 



A well-defined zone of shoreline recession, limited to 7,000 ft south of Canaveral Harbor, is 

 associated with the Harbor entrance (1948-1970). A 27,000-ft-long coastal segment south of this 

 point experienced net shoreline advance for the same period, although the magnitude of shoreline 

 advance is calculated in this study to be slightly greater that of the FDEP assessment. Between 

 February 1970 and May 1996, an interval mainly covering a time period after the major 1974/75 

 USACE beach fill, net shoreline advance was found, illustrating the effectiveness and persistence 

 of the fill over the past two decades. 



Chapter 5 Summary and Conclusions 5-1 



