Findings

Scarce Information

FINDING: Indicator information is (still!) difficult to find.

For many states, although there may be adequate information regarding beach access and water quality, there is still little information in the areas of beach erosion, beach fill, shoreline structures and beach ecology. We note that some states now have adequate beach erosion data and a few are starting to develop inventories of shoreline structures. The public needs to understand the extent of the problem, the causes of erosion, and the costs and consequences of erosion response activities. We have seen a growing recognition of the value of information in these areas, and some states are in the process of compiling inventories and costs. In many states there is little recognition of the ecological importance of sandy beaches.

Thirteen states have information on beach erosion that is either limited in scope or out-of-date. Thirteen states conduct regular comprehensive monitoring and assessment of shoreline change.
Only five states, California, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey and Texas, maintain an accurate and up-to-date statewide inventory of beach fill projects. Alaska, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Wisconsin have essentially no inventory of beach fill projects.
Just four states, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Carolina, maintain an accurate and up-to-date statewide inventory of the locations and types of shoreline structures. Five states, Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico, have essentially no inventory of shoreline structures.
Only four states, Connecticut, Michigan, Oregon and Washington, seem to have adequate information on beach ecology.

The two areas with the most information are beach access and surf zone water quality. Having adequate, accurate information is a necessary first step towards implementing policy and program changes that will improve the status of these indicators.

All states except Louisiana have at least some inventory of public beach access sites. Fifteen states now maintain online beach access site inventories that are accurate and up-to-date, and include descriptions of amenities such as parking, restrooms, and access for the handicapped. California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin have excellent beach access information. Very few states report on gains or losses in beach access.
All states now have some kind of ocean water quality standards and a monitoring program. Alaska started a limited scale program in 2007. Statewide programs were set up in 2003 or 2004 in Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. These states formerly either had no program (Oregon) or only had programs in a few counties (Washington and Wisconsin). Year-round monitoring programs generally occur only in "warm-weather" states such as California, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, although Surfrider Foundation chapters have assisted with an expansion of programs to year-round operation and/or to wider geographic coverage in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Delaware and New Hampshire. Even in those states, monitoring frequency and/or the number of monitoring locations is often scaled back in the winter months. EPA is now requiring electronic reporting of monitoring and beach closure information, which should facilitate evaluation and comparison of data from different states.

We believe the differences in the quantity and quality of information on beach erosion, beach fill, and shore protection exist because changes in these areas tend to be subtle and occur over a long period of time. In contrast, changes in beach access and water quality are immediately noticed by the public and have more immediate economic impacts.

An associated problem with nearly all beach health indicator information is that the data may be "out there", but it has not been compiled at the state level. Information on water quality, beach fill, and shoreline structures is often kept at the county or city level and is not available to citizens or even coastal managers without a laborious search. Extracting and compiling this information often requires substantial staff time.

All of the states have a presence on the World Wide Web. In particular, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and Washington are taking advantage of advances in information technology to provide easy access to detailed information.