By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is starting its study on the future of terminal groins along the coast.
Groins are structures that extend into the water to limit the migration of sand.
A new law requires the commission to conduct the study. Bob Emery is chairman of the Coastal Resources Commission. He says the study will look at the engineering, effectiveness and environmental impact of terminal groins. And Emery says the study will probe into whether future groins should be limited to inlets.
"As long as you're limited to the inlets, at least those are just a few defined spots along the coast. People can sort of get their arms around that. But if you look at using these structures just along the beach, that's something that I think people would find less acceptable, but they're in the study."
Officials in Ocean Isle Beach, Bald Head Island and North Topsail have explored the idea of constructing terminal groins, currently the structures are banned.
Emory says the Coastal Resources Commission will release the study's recommendations in April.
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