State of the Beach/Beach Indicators/Erosion Response
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Erosion response is a measure of how well coastal management decision makers work to limit the extent of shoreline armoring, prevent unsustainable coastal development, and encourage alternatives to armoring. For example, are new development projects set back from the coast far enough to avoid coastal erosion problems? Are setback standards based on the latest erosion rates? When existing development is damaged during a storm, is reconstruction prohibited or are there incentives to relocate? Are there statewide policies to implement relocation (managed retreat) or policies that consider relocation a viable option? Are states employing regional policies that take into account cumulative effects of non-natural shoreline alterations? An evaluation of these factors for each state serves to bring attention to the states that are taking a proactive role in minimizing beach destruction and protecting beach health for future generations.
A related concept is Climate Change Adaptation. Surfrider Foundation has expanded our evaluation of state erosion response programs to include a discussion of state efforts to address Climate Change Adaptation. Please also see Surfrider's 2017 State of the Beach Report Card for an additional review of each state's coastal management policies regarding erosion response. The State of the Beach Report Card builds off information collected in Beachapedia's State of the Beach website, but takes a deeper dive into four specific indicators related to erosion, which include coastal armoring, sea level rise, beach replenishment, and coastal development. The grading scale is a more holistic attempt to quantify those four indicators into one overall grade indicating the state's ability to appropriately protect their beaches. This is different from the grading scale used for this specific coastal erosion indicator.
An excellent state website that touches on these issues (and more) is Massachusetts' StormSmart Coasts. Massachusetts, all of the Gulf Coast states and a growing list of East Coast states are now part of the StormSmart Coasts Network.
State Erosion Response Reports
Select a state from the list below to view the Erosion Response indicator page for that state: