Wetlands and Coastal Dune Board to hold Meeting on Beach Management Plan

Two years ago, the Wetlands and Coastal Dune Board (Board) spent several months preparing a set of recommendations to manage sand and the dunes at the beach. Those recommendations
were presented to Town Council in September 2016. Recently the Board has been working on a proposed beach and sand management practices plan for the Town’s public beach.

The draft proposed beach/dune plan outline is completed. On Monday October 1, 2018, the Wetlands Board will meet, and Chairman Ann Walker will present the draft outline. The public is invited and encouraged to make comments on the new plan.

Upon further review and discussion, the recommendations will be sent to the Town Council.

The beach/dune plan review of the past and currently employed beach sand management practices which will allow the Board to make appropriate recommendations to Town Council and provide an opportunity for residents’ input into the scale of the sand wind erosion problem and potential practices to mitigate future wind erosion events.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday October 1, 2018.

The location is Cape Charles Civic Center
500 Tazewell Ave
Cape Charles VA 23310

Cape Charles Beach and Dune Management Plan DRAFT OUTLINE (23 September 2018)
1. Purpose and Need (to be completed)
a. Align recommendations with the annual cycle of town planning, budget, and public works
operations
2. Cape Charles Public Beach (description)
3. Regulations Governing the Beach and Dune System
a. Description (Federal, State, Local)
b. Regulatory implications for this management plan, e.g.,
i. FEMA
ii. Coastal Resilience
4. Issues (to be addressed in the plan. Some examples below, others? See Norfolk CBCMA Guidance
Document 2012)
a. Problems, e.g., sand movement off the beach, waste, trash, flooding/storm surge relationships
b. Access methods, e.g., sand trails, mats, walkways, ramps (different for different parts of beach?)
c. Recreational activities/uses
i. Activities/uses, e.g., tents, dogs
d. Structures, e.g., volleyball courts
e. View – visual access, viewshed
f. Safety
g. Maintenance
i. Winter, e.g., winter preparation
ii. Summer, e.g., sand nourishment on beach each spring, beach cleaning
iii. Monitoring for management
5. Good Management Practices for Beach and Dunes (recommendations, by grouping in section 4, to
address identified issues; describe options, pros and cons, including cost)
a. Vegetation
i. Types: Preferred, e.g. American Beach Grass; invasive/nuisance, e.g., Japanese sedge
ii. Location: Beach side of dunes; Boardwalk side of dunes
b. Dunes
c. Beach
6. Implementation Options and Resources
a. Funding
i. Sand Nourishment Options, e.g., ACOE project, winter sand capture and spring
relocation
ii. Other
b. Equipment, e.g., fencing, vegetation, other
c. Personnel
i. Town staff
ii. Contractors (e.g., for sprigging)

Appendices
a. Definitions and Acronyms
b. Regulations
c. References

About the Author

Wayne Creed

Administrator

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