Other Impacts of the Sand Berms
Building sand berms will have other impacts as well. First, these sand berms are being constructed with the limited amount of good sand available in the area. If these berms are built, and then are subsequently washed away, the impact of losing the sand would make the efforts workers have put in a monumental waste, at least for the berms intended purpose. By constructing sand berms, Louisiana is potentially sacrificing the coasts long-term care and restoration for a short-term plan that has the potentially fail.
There are also other issues with the sand berms. If these sand berms enclose the coast from the outside oil and waves, it can potentially alter the water level closest to the shore. It is well documented how a shift in water levels can cause disastrous property damage inland, so this is a consideration that has to be accounted for.
The short time frame for which these sand berms have been planned and designed for doesn’t allow for accurate solutions for the aforementioned implications. The coast is more likely to be damaged further than saved due to the sand berms being constructed. With the short turnaround time forced upon the Army Corp of Engineers for the permitting process, it was impossible to measure the effects sand berms would change on the tides after precious deposits were used. The coasts are timeless and it is crucial to understand the long-term impacts these short-term actions will have for the future.
There are also other issues with the sand berms. If these sand berms enclose the coast from the outside oil and waves, it can potentially alter the water level closest to the shore. It is well documented how a shift in water levels can cause disastrous property damage inland, so this is a consideration that has to be accounted for.
The short time frame for which these sand berms have been planned and designed for doesn’t allow for accurate solutions for the aforementioned implications. The coast is more likely to be damaged further than saved due to the sand berms being constructed. With the short turnaround time forced upon the Army Corp of Engineers for the permitting process, it was impossible to measure the effects sand berms would change on the tides after precious deposits were used. The coasts are timeless and it is crucial to understand the long-term impacts these short-term actions will have for the future.
Copyright, 2010 Coastal Environments Class, Kyle Baldwin, Nicholis Jones, Kyle Ribeiro, Constantin Sullivan, Dr. Gaytha Langlois, Bryant University (Smithfield, RI)
