Dumping sand on a beach is pretty easy.  Designing a beach nourishment project that functions as intended and is cost-effective is not as simple as it may sound.  In most cases, the designer wants to mimic the natural beach as much as possible - grain size, texture and color, beach slope and elevation, and its relationship to neighboring beaches.  These are not just aesthetics, rather, the performance of the beach depends on getting these parameters right. 

 

In recent years, there has been a slow return to the use of coastal structures suchas groins and breakwaters to help retain restored or renourished beachs longer.  OCC has experience designing beach nourishment fills and the innovative structures that can provide better and longer term management of the beach.