Maryland

United States Department of the Interior

Content:
Roger Amato

Pagemasters:
Alice Drew
Marcia Oliver

Maryland

Maryland beach scene Maryland has over 40 miles of shoreline from its border with Virginia near the southern end of Assateague Island to the Delaware border. Building density along the shoreline ranges from the heavy development of Ocean City to the undeveloped beaches on Assateague Island. Although Ocean City is by far the largest tourist attraction on the Maryland shore, Assateague Island State and Federal Parks also bring large numbers of visitors.

Maintenance of beaches is a high priority with Maryland. Since 1988, over ten million cubic yards of sand has been placed on the beaches from Ocean City northward to the Delaware line. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps Engineers (USACE) and the National Park Service recently completed restoration work on Assateague Island beaches. The State estimates that there will not be enough sand inside the three-mile limit to supply future beach restoration projects.

The Maryland Geological Survey has been working cooperatively on a project with MMS to assess offshore sand resources in a study area that extends southward from the Delaware line to the Maryland-Virginia border. Sixteen shoals have been identified in this study area as having a high potential for beach nourishment sand, containing an estimated 360 million cubic yards of sand. MMS completed an environmental study in the area in 2000 that involved wave modeling and an assessment of the baseline benthic ecological conditions in and around the proposed sand borrow areas. The study developed a schedule of best and worst times for offshore dredging as regards transitory, pelagic species and evaluated the potential modifications to waves that cross within the area due to offshore dredging within the proposed sand borrow sites. It also evaluated the impacts of offshore dredging and consequent beach nourishment in terms of the potential alteration in sediment transport patterns, sedimentary environments, and impacts to local shoreline processes.

The environmental study complements the geologic data analyzed in the survey area. Together, this information provides an integrated analysis of both geologic and environmental data needed by coastal planners if the decision is made to access Federal sand for beach nourishment activities in the future.

We completed negotiated agreements with the Corps and the National Park Service (NPS) in 1998 and 2001 for the use of Federal sand for restoration of the northern portion of Assateague Island. Under the agreements, approximately 2 million cubic yards of sand was dredged from Great Gull Bank, a large shoal 4-6 miles offshore of Assateague, and placed in low parts of the island to prevent breaching. The sand in Great Gull bank was identified by the Maryland Geological Survey through their cooperative program with us. The State of Maryland also used 100,000 cubic yards of sand from Great Gull to rebuild dunes at the Assateague Island State Park in 2001. Sand is also being bypassed around Ocean City Inlet to feed Assateague Island beaches by dredging a shoal off the Inlet.

Other Information

Contact Robert Conkwright, Maryland Geological Survey, 410-554-5545 or Roger Amato, MMS, 703-787-1282.

OCS Study MMS 2000-055 Environmental Survey of Potential Sand Resource Sites Offshore Delaware and Maryland.

Paper presented at the Northeastern Shore and Beach Association, annual meeting, Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 13, 1999, entitled, "Great Gull Bank: Great Sand Source?"

Photos from the May 1998 Environmental Field Cruise

Location map of MMS/Maryland Cooperative Activities

Last Updated: 05/19/2004, 08:09 AM