Learn why dunes matter, what causes beach erosion, and how a healthy beach helps protect homes, roads and infrastructure along Flagler County's coast.
Dunes act as a storage reservoir for sand that is made available during infrequent but severe storms. The larger the dune, the more time it takes to be eroded by the waves, and the more protection it provides to houses, roads and infrastructure farther landward. If the dunes are large enough, waves and storm surge are prevented from washing across the barrier island. Flooding may still occur from the back side of the island, but not directly from the ocean. Even if a dune is breached and the shoreline is overwashed, the sand stored in the dune and eroded by the storm reduces incoming wave heights compared to areas without dunes.
Both natural and man-made dunes provide significant protection from the erosion caused by infrequent severe storms, such as hurricanes.
In the simplest terms: sand stored in the dunes buys time and protection from the worst storms. The bigger the reservoir of sand, the longer it takes the waves to consume the dune.
Coastal dune plantings help build new ecosystems. The new plants are small and need time to grow, so please respect the dune and the new plantings and do not walk on them.
Once mature, these plants catch the sand that onshore winds blow landward from the lower beach, helping the dune grow and widen naturally.
Coastal beach erosion is the gradual wearing away of the shoreline by the combined forces of:
Florida's East Coast, with its low-lying geography and dynamic weather patterns, is particularly vulnerable. If there were no infrastructure on the beach, erosion would not be a problem and there would always be a beach. It becomes an issue when roads, buildings and infrastructure are built along the coastline and we want the beaches and dunes to stay in place. Beaches are dynamic environments and have migrated inland as sea level has risen over the past several thousand years.
The best way to protect the dunes from erosion is to build and maintain a healthy beach in front of them. When a beach has been eroded to a narrow, steep slope, as along most of Flagler County's coast, the ocean can reach the dunes during high lunar tides and smaller, more frequent coastal storms.
By building and maintaining a wide, elevated beach berm in front of the dunes, which also provides a recreational beach and many other benefits, the dunes will only be eroded during the largest coastal storms, such as hurricanes, and will provide a much-needed barrier to protect inland infrastructure.
Coastal Management Program Manager 386-313-4112 Damon.Douglas@flaglercounty.gov
1769 E. Moody Blvd. Bunnell, FL 32110
Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.