Ocean City and Assateague Island
Dynamic Sustainability: Shoreline Management on Maryland's Atlantic Coast
2008 and Onward
Ocean City
The sediment sources for the Ocean City project will be exhausted by 2010, but the project is scheduled to continue through 2044. Therefore, in 2001 a general reevaluation study was initiated to identify new sediment sources. This study was published in 2008 and it identified three offshore shoals for use in the project that met all the physical and environmental qualifications.
It was decided that dredging small amounts from multiple shoals was better than significantly impacting just one shoal, which could then alter waves in the area and even lead to increased shoreline erosion or degraded fish habitats. The study also decreed that each shoal would be continually monitored for its importance as a fishing ground.
It is important that the beach nourishment plan be equipped to maintain the beach for storm protection and recreation because it is likely that Ocean City's population will continue to grow. The beach will also remain crucial for the support of jobs and tax revenues.