Hampton, New Hampshire: Beach Nourishment Project

Fessenden, Franklin W.; ,

Hampton, New Hampshire: Beach Nourishment Project

by Franklin W. Fessenden, US Army Corps of Engineering, Waltham, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Engineering Practice

Abstract:

An ongoing program of beach nourishment at Hampton Beach, Hampton, New Hampshire is a success and has resulted in long term use of a recreational facility at one of the most popular resorts in New England. For almost 60 years the Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the state of New Hampshire, has been studying, monitoring and designing nourishment projects at Hampton Beach, part of a sandy barrier beach fronting a wide salt marsh. The Army Corps of Engineers noted in 1933 that the beach was eroding and the inlet into Hampton Harbor was unstable and migrating. The two problems of beach erosion and inlet stability cited in this early report are still present and serve as the fundamental problem statement of Hampton Beach. Strong state and Federal interest in preserving the area led to the stabilization of the harbor inlet and successful periodic nourishment of the beach. This paper concludes that the primary reason for the success is that the nourishment program is simple and is based upon natural dynamic equilibrium processes ongoing at the site.

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