Renourished beach sand also tends to become compacted, reducing the quality of the nesting habitat. As a result, coral and hardbottom habitat offshore the restored/renourished beach can be stressed by increased sediment turbidity, siltation, and smothering. Research demonstrates that replacement sediments often display unsuitable grain size, durability, and hydrodynamic behavior for a beach setting, and that sands derived from dredging on the adjacent shelf contain excessive amounts of fine sand and silt too small to remain on the beach. The failure of restoration projects is often attributed to, among other things, a lack of appropriate and affordable material nearby. The forces precipitating the erosion generally cannot be allayed by the act of restoration, and in many cases the cycle inexorably begins anew. Rebuilding a natural beach is costly, and often ineffective. If dunes are leveled, vegetation removed, and/or solid jetties or seawalls constructed, the likelihood of committing the owners to repetitive and increasingly expensive beach restoration and renourishment is heightened. The linkages between development and the persistence of sandy beaches are complex, and should be considered with care before construction near sandy beaches is permitted or undertaken. Restoration is generally accomplished by bringing sand to the beach from inland sites or adjoining beach segments, or by hydraulically pumping sand onshore from an offshore site. Beach restoration involves the placement of sand on an eroded beach for the purposes of restoring it as a recreational beach and providing storm protection for upland properties.
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