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The Shore Study Areas layer contains polygons delineating locations along the U.S. coastline that have experienced increased erosion and, as a result, prompted environmental studies to determine (1) the extent of erosion, (2) baseline documentation of shore sediment character, and (3) if the site could benefit from shoreline stabilization and beach nourishment in order to reduce coastal storm flooding and erosion, and provide economic, cultural, recreational, and environmental habitat benefits. If a shoreline area is designated as being in need of restoration and renourishment, and a composite match is made between the shore sand and sand in the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), then entities may enter into a Negotiated Non-Competitive Lease or Memoranda of Agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), in order to dredge sand, gravel, or shell resources from the OCS. Section 8 (k) of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA) as amended by Public Law 103-426 (enacted in 1994) gives BOEM the authority to negotiate an agreement for the use of OCS sand, gravel, and shell resources for use in: (1) a project for shore protection, beach restoration, or coastal restoration undertaken by a Federal, State, or local government agency; or (2) for use in a construction project funded in whole or in part by or authorized by the Federal government. This dataset is a collection of previous and current shore study areas. Attribution consists of Study ID, year of study, and summarized sediment descriptions. The polygon extents are not guaranteed to be exact and may contain estimate boundaries delineated based on visual interpretation of drawings and descriptions found in study documents and post construction reports. The dataset will be updated on a regular basis to reflect new and previous study areas. |