Replenishment projects at Delaware's beaches have protected coastal properties, but some residents say these projects also make the beaches more dangerous. A surf-related injury study is underway, but experts say it won't prove whether replenishment is responsible for any increase in surf-related injuries.

During a public workshop in Rehoboth Beach Nov. 1, Dewey Beach resident and coastal property owner Clinton Bunting said future projects should support recreational beach use and not focus only on protecting property.

Beach replenishment and nourishment we have to have it. We have to have great bays and great beaches, the former lifeguard said. In the last years with the beach nourishment and replenishment, injuries have increased dramatically.

Bunting's concerns were raised during a review of regulations that are unrelated to beach replenishment projects, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials said. His concerns will be shared with DNREC's federal partner in replenishment projects the Army Corps of Engineers, they said.

Stephen Rochette, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District, said the corps has not seen a correlation between completed projects and an increase in injuries, but he said there are many variables that make that connection difficult to determine.

Beaches are dynamic and changing whether we conduct a beachfill or not, he said.

Delaware Surf Zone Injury study

*Source: Dr. Paul Cowan, Beebe Healthcare

Beebe Healthcare Department of Emergency Medicine Dr. Paul Cowan, who began compiling surf injury data in 2009 after he noticed clusters of beach-related injuries, said there is no comparison data available to measure current injuries against the number and extent of injuries that occurred before major replenishment projects.

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Residents: Beach replenishment brings danger

By Kati Moore (MEM 16) Nicholas School Communications Assistant

DURHAM, N.C. In a new book, authors Orrin H. Pilkey of Duke University and J. Andrew G. Cooper of the University of Ulster argue that immediate action must be taken to save the worlds beaches from the negative impacts of development, mining, and pollution.

The book, The Last Beach, discusses the dynamic nature of beaches and how current practices such as shoreline stabilization and beach nourishment work against beaches natural processes.

The bottom line is that in fifty years, and certainly in one hundred years, we will have no beaches left on developed shorelines in the developed world, said Pilkey, who will read from the book tonight (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

Myriad problems face beaches around the world, Pilkey and Cooper argue. Most of these problems stem from people trying to engineer beaches to fit human ideals, instead of moving with the beaches inevitable changes.

Stabilizing shorelines by building seawalls is one significant problem. Seawalls are often built to protect beachfront buildings, but usually do more harm than good, Pilkey said. In Cape May, New Jersey, the historically healthy beach was severely eroded following the construction of a seawall, despite multiple replenishment efforts.

Another common and harmful practice is beach replenishment, in which offshore sand is mined and put on the beach. This can change wave patterns and damages offshore ecosystems. Commercial fishermen in Nantucket, Mass., have opposed beach replenishment efforts due to the potential negative effects on fish populations.

Pollution is a significant problem on beaches, both in the water and the sand. Common sources of pollution are raw sewage and wastewater runoff, which often contain harmful bacteria. Beach pollution is a problem with personal significance for Pilkey, whose grandson contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection from a cut on his foot after surfing on Westport Beach in Washington.

Pilkey and Coopers recommendations for beach-goers are do not walk barefoot on the beach, do not lie or sit directly on the sand, do not swim after a heavy rain, and never, ever get buried in sand.In order to preserve beaches for future generations, Pilkey and Cooper offer four rules: Do not build seawalls. Do not build beachfront high-rises. Do not mine sand. Value the beach ecosystem.

The key to successfully preserving beaches, Pilkey said, is to change with the beaches. We need to bend with nature. Thats not a new idea, but in so many ways, we dont bend with nature, he said.

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Orrin Pilkey's Book a Call to Action to Save the Beaches

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SYDNEY: Beaches Be Crazy (ft. Mamrie Hart Troye Sivan!)
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he pristine beaches of Puducherry, a major draw among residents and tourists visiting the former French enclave, are now fast disappearing due to rampant erosion.

Large parts of the beaches along the coastline have been gobbled up by the sea since 1994.

The erosion has now started spreading along the northern side of the citys coastline threatening villages such as Periyamudaliarchavady and Bommayarpalayam in Tamil Nadu.

Probir Banerjee, member, Pondicherry Citizen's Action Network (PCAN), said: The problem started in 1989 when the Puducherry government constructed two breakwaters. Though a sand bypassing system was provided at the harbour to regularly shift the sand from south to north, this has not been done resulting in erosion along the northern side.

The sand movement along the coast is said to be one of the highest in the country. The net displacement of sand northwards has been calculated at 0.5 million cubic metres a year.

Beaches on the northern side of the coastline are now starved of sand and have started disappearing. Puducherry was losing 0.5 to 1 km of beach every year, he said.

G. Vasu, a resident of Periyamudaliarchavady and member of Repo, an Auroville community, said the rate of erosion was 20 metres a year. Instead of tackling the origin of the problem, the government started constructing groynes and sea walls, which has only aggravated the erosion towards north.

The rubble-mounted sea walls constructed along the Puducherry coast had transferred the problem to Tamil Nadu, which was now facing massive erosion. Groynes should be considered only after taking into account various factors such as wave strength, angle of the waves and shore structure, he said.

Sea currents have become tough and people living on the coast are the victims of erosion.

Due to the construction of groynes, fishermen are unable to dock their boats along the shore. However, the authorities seem to be unaware of the destruction of the coastline, said R. Nagaraj, a fisherman.

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Vanishing beaches: clouds on the horizon

A beach in the West Fjords. Photo: Pll Stefnsson.

Q: Why arent there seashells on Icelands beaches? Ive walked dozens of kilometers on its beaches in every region but have yet to see a seashell.

Ivan Martin, New York, U.S.

---

A: There are seashells on beaches in Iceland but their number differs between regions. The iconic black sand beaches of the south coast are constantly being shaped by the sediment of glacial rivers being carried to sea and wild waves crashing against the shore.

This is perhaps where youd be least likely to find seashells. Blue mussels, for example, can be found on beaches in every region in Iceland, except the south coast.

For the same reason, there were no harbors on the south coast from Hfn in the east to orlkshfn in the west until Landeyjahfn, the new Vestmannaeyjar ferry dock, opened in 2010. But sediment from glacial river Markarfljt poses a problem.

On most other quiet sand beaches in Iceland you should be able to find seashells, including blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), Icelandic scallop (Chlamys islandica), ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) and soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria).

The black beaches that are predominant in Iceland are a result of the countrys volcanic activity and the sand is mostly comprised of fine grains of basalt.

On the white shell sand beach Lngufjrur on the southern Snfellsnes peninsula, West Iceland, I remember to have found small white seashells and colorful stones, as Ive seen on beaches on the European mainland.

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D-Day The American Beaches Review
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Opponents of set-net fishing at Auckland's northern beaches have achieved a partial victory.

Set-nets will be banned in Army Bay and Te Haruhi Bay this summer.

But community calls to ban set-net fishing at other beaches appear to be going unanswered.

Auckland Council has decided against banning them in Omaha, Hatfields Beach and Browns Bay.

Hatfields Beach resident Neil Henson says that's despite repeated requests from residents.

He says most local board members and residents have been asking the council for bans.

He says 20 months of asking the council to do something about it, they still haven't seen any response.

Mr Henson says the beach can be full of nets from dawn to dusk.

He says the nets are a safety hazard for swimmers, paddle-boarders, kite-surfers and boaties.

A separate ban in Arkle's Bay will come up for review next year.

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Northern Auckland beaches granted set-net bans

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Italian PM Matteo Renzi joked that he couldn't possibly compare Australia's beaches with Italy's.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi joked that he couldn't possibly compare Australia's beaches with those of his home country as he toured a Sydney factory.

On the final day of his visit Down Under for the G20 summit, NSW Attorney-General and local MP Brad Hazzard told him he had to check out Sydney's beautiful coastline.

But the Italian leader said he was afraid of speaking too highly of his host's beaches in case it cost him popularity back home.

"I can't disclose with you about the quality of the beaches in Italy and in Australia because Italian people can vote," he said to laughs at the Prysmian plant in Dee Why on Sydney's northern beaches.

But he did describe Sydney as "one of the most beautiful places around the world".

Also giving a speech, Mr Hazzard described Italy and Australia as "great friends" and praised the "spirit" and "dedication" of the Italian immigrants who now call Australia home.

The pair were speaking as they visited the Prysmian plant, which employs more than 500 workers in Australia and has partnered the government for the NBN project.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Renzi went to see major construction work on a section of Sydney's North West Rail Link and Kellyville Station, which is being built by Italian-based consortium Salini Impregilo.

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Italian PM visits Sydney factory

Nov. 17, 2014, 9:28 p.m.

Wollongong City Council's vote has gone to the dogs, so to speak, with staff recommending man's best friend be allowed to keep frolicking unleashed on northern suburbs beaches.

Donna Bennett plays with her dog Percy at Thirrouls McCauleys Beach yesterday. Picture: CHRISTOPHER CHAN

Wollongong City Council's vote has gone to the dogs, so to speak, with staff recommending man's best friend be allowed to keep frolicking unleashed on northern suburbs beaches.

The proposal - for there to be no change to off-leash beach zonings throughout the city - comes after nearly four months of heated protests and social media campaigning, mostly from the pro-dogs-on-beaches lobby group "Unleash Our Beaches".

Group spokeswoman Donna Bennett said she was "ecstatic" to read the council's recommendation, published on Monday, which would continue to allow dogs to roam free on Sharkeys, McCauleys, Little Austinmer and Stanwell Park beaches.

"People have put their lives on hold to fight this, so you would think common sense will prevail," she said.

Several changes to the council's dogs on beaches policy were proposed in July, with councillors saying they needed to reach a compromise between residents who walked their dogs and those who did not agree with dogs having access to beaches.

During the exhibition process the council received about 2000 submissions and two petitions with about 3000 signatures, the vast majority of which supported the existing beach zones.

Now, staff have published three options for councillors to consider next week - one of which includes removing the off-leash areas from the contentious northern beaches - but clearly state the "no change" option is the one to pick.

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Wollongong Council closer to unleashing beach dogs

KARACHI: Its not just stopping the people from going to the beaches, its putting on hold various livelihoods, said Abdul Azizi, a shopkeeper at the Sandspit beach on Thursday.

See, most of the residents of this area are fishermen. And during the monsoon months when they cant go out to sea to catch fish, they do odd jobs like work as food vendors, as hut guards, as lifeguards, etc.

Then when the beaches are full of picnickers and the huts are rented out, the people who come here bring lots of food with them, too, which they also offer to the hut guards. To care for them private companies hire more lifeguards. The bottles and stuff left behind by the picnickers are collected and sold by the children. So many ways of earning get affected if you just shut the beaches altogether, the shopkeeper added.

Blog: The sea is not for the poor

A full cold drink delivery truck passed by just then, not caring to slow down or stop to pick up the empty bottle crates or make fresh deliveries. We dont need to replenish our stocks as often as we used to. I have lost around Rs120,000 of business since Eidul Fitr when picnickers drowned of the Seaview and Clifton beaches. Now when the stuff at my shop doesnt sell, which is often the case, my family and I just eat it ourselves. The other choice would be letting it spoil or go to waste, he said.

Baba Kabir, a resident of Kakapir village, said that the entire problem of closing the beaches started after the mass drownings at Seaview and Clifton last Eid. I dont think that the problem can be solved by closing the beaches. But more lifeguards can be a solution, he said.

All these huts pay taxes. Then more money can be collected at the chungi or entrance points. Take money per head and people will have no objection to that but use that money to hire more lifeguards and give them more facilities, he added.

In fact, there is no dedicated government lifeguards department here. There are the Aman Pal lifeguards, of course, but they are private lifeguards. And the KMC lifeguards are actually fire department employees doing lifeguards duty at the beach. They are not enough anyway and lack facilities. They dont even have ambulances here! he said.

Right now the more determined picnickers who want to go to the beach get there anyway by bribing their way through, so only more lifeguards can help save lives, not closing the beaches.

Shuja Khan, a guard at one of the huts at Hawkesbay, said that the three days of Eidul Azha were terrible for the owner of huts. They just couldnt come here. My sahib and his family wanted to come here and invite some friends over for a barbecue, but the police blocked the entrance points up ahead and they just couldnt reach here, he said.

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Closure of beaches ruins small businesses, livelihoods - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

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Doc ranger Simon Alefosio-Tuck and Otago Polytechnic bachelor of information technology students Sam Stuart and Aaron McGrouther hope the new app will help dog owners visiting beaches like Smails. Photo by Gregor Richardson.

One of the greatest dangers to the sea lions and penguins on Otago's beaches is uncontrolled dogs, Department of Conservation ranger Simon Alefosio-Tuck said.

It was hoped the app would help educate and warn dog owners about wildlife on the region's beaches.

Student Sam Stewart said the app was aimed at dog owners and would help them identify beaches nearby and whether or not they could take their dogs there and what wildlife was in the area.

They hoped to include the ability for the app to use GPS to locate the dog owner and link them to Doc so they could report sightings of wildlife or wayward dogs.

Then dog owners looking up a location could see where wildlife was and make the decision to go to another beach instead.

The app had passed the proof of concept stage so next year the students, including Aaron McGrouther, Lauren Parker and Rickie Kewene, would develop it.

Mr Alefosio-Tuck said the big thing Doc hoped to get out of the process was being able to warn dog owners of no-go beaches, as often wildlife turned up on beaches where dogs were allowed.

''So they get a text via the app that there is a sea lion at Tomahawk Beach so they decide to go to Smails instead.''

Dunedin City Council dog control, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and Sea Lion Trust had been consulted on information to go on the app, he said.

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App intended to save wildlife from dogs

Real estate agent Lucy Cole. Source: News Corp Australia

ONE of the Coasts leading businesspeople has called for silver service to be allowed to make its way to our golden beaches.

Property queen Lucy Cole has rattled the cutlery by urging the council and the State Government to allow restaurants to set up tables on Gold Coast beaches.

But its a call that is finding very little support among both council and the restaurant industry.

Ms Cole, who is the founder and managing director of Lucy Cole Prestige Properties, said the Gold Coast needed to do more if it wanted to retain its place as Australias No. 1 holiday destination.

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We need to take more advantage of our natural assets and cater to the desires of the tourist market, she said.

There is no reason why portions of our beaches could be used of an evening to create restaurants on the beach.

If you go to the Greek Islands you will find chairs and tables all the way down to the water of a night time.

I am not saying we should do the same but we should be doing more with what we have got.

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Fancy a table on the beach?

Cool Beaches (Surf Sand)
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