Beaches—they draw people near and far. The sound of the waves and the feeling of relaxation while having the sand beneath your toes. They are also a lifeline for the many people who depend on the tourism and conditions for their lifeline. With rapid erosion in Avon as well as Buxton, North Carolina, beach nourishment has becomes was of rehabilitation the beach to its prior condition and rebuild dune infrastructure to protect roads and houses in the path of the ocean.

To start the process of beach nourishment, the Army Corps of Engineers must complete surveying to find a sand bar and survey the area. Small boats and a specialized survey machine known as the Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB). Once the sand bar is found, the town, or county must decide how much sand needs to be placed on the beach. A contract is then given to a company and a plan is made to put it into play.

Crews from the county, owners of the beach, and local property owners then go into full swing to prepare the beach for the project. Debris, trash, and old dune fencing are removed and disposed of. Large in ground pools, and even some houses, are then demolished and or moved to prevent injury of workers and civilians on the beach. They are removed to ensure that there is nothing blocking the dune line of where the new set of dunes will be constructed.

Beach nourishment, is the result of sending a suction or hopper dredge out into the ocean to the location of an offshore sandbar. The vessel then collects the sand before heading to a central location. Once the vessel has arrived at the said location, it will hook up to a series of pipes and begin to pump the sand. These pipes lead from that central location to certain areas of the beach.

Once the dredge starts to pump sand onto the beach, it is then the bulldozer crews job to move it. The bulldozer crew will push the sand from the dumping area, to the area of the beach where the sand is needed. At this time dune rebuilding will also begin with the use of smaller equipment like skid steers as well as mini excavators.

After completion, the equipment and storage containers, which are on sleds are dragged further down the beach to where the next section will be completed. Large front end loaders dragging large rakes then grade the beach to ensure that it is flat and smooth.

The piping that was laid earlier in the project is then removed and transported further down the beach to where the next few sections are to be completed. Any construction fencing, signage, or barricades are then removed to finally allow people to use the newly reconstructed section of beach.

Months after beach nourishment, work still continues. Contracts for dune grass planting and construction, and installation of specially designed dune fencing, are given out to the chosen contractor. The dune fencing is made of small one inch wide by one quarter of an inch thick. It is then held together by metal wire and is attached to two by four inch pieces of wood, at the end of each section. Each section is roughly six feet long and angled to catch the sand as it blows along the beach.

Dune grasses which are native to the area are then planted, and beach access areas are reconstructed, either by rolling out large blue mats or building wooden stairs over the dune.