Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act (CEPRA) Beach Monitoring Program

Contact: Deidre Williams

CEPRA

The Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) Beach Monitoring Program supports the TGLO’s efforts in the research-based management of bayside and Gulf beaches that have been restored or re-nourished by the CEPRA program. The monitoring program is funded by CEPRA, which is administered by the TGLO in coordination with NOAA. The monitoring program has been conducted by the Conrad Blucher Institute (CBI) since 2007. The purpose of the monitoring program is to document the status of the CEPRA beaches, archive beach profile survey data for FEMA reimbursement purposes and provide recommendations addressing potential renourishment and management issues. The restoration/nourishment of CEPRA beach sites was originally funded by the CEPRA program in coordination with local community and government sponsors. The type of restoration applied is site specific and may include nourishment (import of beach quality sand) or a combination of nourishment along with coastal structures (groins, breakwaters or revetments). Restoration sites are those locations where complete to near complete loss of sandy beach had occurred. In addition, several Gulf fronting CEPRA projects have benefited from dune restoration. CEPRA beach nourishment/restoration sites are located along both bay and Gulf shores. The CBI monitoring program tracks the performance of 13 of the 33 CEPRA beaches that have been restored along the Texas Coast.

Since 2007, this program has applied methodology developed through the monitoring of one of the first CEPRA beach restoration projects (University Beach) which is located at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In addition, the Coastal Habitat Restoration GIS (CHRGIS) online mapping tool and archive was originally designed applying University Beach as the prototype. University Beach, restored during CEPRA Cycle #1 (completed August, 2001), is located along southern Corpus Christi Bay in front of TAMU-CC and was selected because of the availability of an extensive historic beach profile survey data set.