What You Need to Know About Beach Nourishment
The municipalities in Dare County, along with parts of Hatteras Island, began undergoing beach nourishment in the summer of 2022. Each Town has information on its government websites. Visitors are also encouraged to follow updates on the overall project via MoreBeachtoLove.com. As of May 14, 2023, the beach nourishment project has been completed.
*All projects are scheduled to take place this year. As contractors provide tentative construction schedules, this table will be updated on the MoreBeachtoLove.com website.
- Town of Duck COMPLETED. Beach nourishment began in the Town of Duck on April 11, 2023, and was completed on May 14, 2023.
- Town of Southern Shores COMPLETED. Approximately 3.8 miles of shoreline from the Duck/Southern Shores town line to the Southern Shores/Kitty Hawk town line. Beach nourishment began in the Town of Southern Shores on October 7, 2022 and was completed on November 22, 2022
- Town of Kitty Hawk COMPLETED. Approximately 3.97 miles of shoreline from the Southern Shores/Kitty Hawk town line to the Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills line. The Kitty Hawk project began on August 24, 2022 and was completed on October 18, 2022.
- Town of Kill Devil Hills COMPLETED. Approximately 2.58 miles of shoreline was nourished, from the Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills town line to 270 feet north of Prospect Avenue. The Kill Devil Hills beach nourishment project began on June 13, 2022 and was completed on July 22, 2022.
- Town of Nags Head COMPLETED. Approximately 4.45 miles of shoreline from 8031 South Oregon Inlet Road (near Milepost 16) to 10435 South Oregon Inlet Road began on July 22, 2022 and was completed on August 27, 2022.
- Hatteras Island (Avon and Buxton projects) AVON COMPLETED. Approximately 2.5 miles of shoreline from 3,000 feet north of Avon Pier at Due East Road to the National Park Service Station/Avon Boundary. The Avon beach nourishment project began on June 19, 2022, and was completed on July 27, 2022. BUXTON COMPLETED. Approximately 2.9 miles of shoreline from the Haulover Day Use Area to the oceanfront groin at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The Buxton project began on June 30, 2022 and was completed on August 16.
Those who love to visit and those who make the Outer Banks home know that beach nourishment is necessary to protect our infrastructure, our homes and businesses, and our beautiful beaches..jpg)
Beach nourishment is the process of pumping sand onto an eroding shoreline to widen the existing beach. Sources of sand may include a nearby sandbar, a dredged source such as an inlet or waterway, or an offshore borrow site along the ocean floor. The widened shoreline provides increased defense from coastal storms and beach erosion protecting property, communities and infrastructure located along the shoreline. Visitors staying in the affected areas may experience temporary construction noise, nighttime illumination, and beach access diversions. The process typically progresses throughout the project area relatively quickly.
Additional options for things to do should the beach near you become inaccessible for a couple of days include:
- Take a day trip and check out another area of the Outer Banks you maybe haven't visited before. This could be the perfect opportunity to check out another beach for the day.
- Visit H2OBX Waterpark! Sun Realty guests receive discounted tickets to the waterpark, which is just across the Wright Memorial Bridge in southern Currituck County. With two wave pools, an adventure lagoon, lazy river, and a number of family and one-two person thrill slides, adventure awaits at H2OBX.
- Visit one of our natural or historic sites. The NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island is a great option for rainy day fun or as a break from the beach. Also on Roanoke Island, you'll find the Elizabethan Gardens, Lost Colony, and Roanoke Island Festival Park, home to the Elizabeth II, a ship representative of one of the seven English merchant vessels from the Roanoke Voyage of 1585.
- Visit one of our sound accesses for crabbing, kiteboarding, kayaking, you name it!
- Watch the re-nourishment in progress! Piers or beach accesses are great spots for watching the activity from a safe distance. Beach nourishment is vital to the health and sustainability of our beaches and our economy, and the whole process is very impressive to watch.