works and plans
1974
1st Sand nourishment
In 1974 the method of coast nourishment was taken into use. With coast nourishment sand is pumped onto the beach or onto the sea bottom in near-shore areas to compensate for lost sand. Coast nourishment has reduced and in some places put an end to the natural coastal withdrawal on the west coast.
At the northern part of the Skallingen peninsula, groynes combined with regular sand nourishments are used for the protection against beach erosion. The groynes cannot stop the coastal retreat fully, but for almost 100 years they havebeen the only usable method for reduction of erosion at the west coast. The groynes on the west coast are still maintained, and on specific critical sections, a sloping revetment of concrete in front of or hidden in the seawall is constructed.
Sand nourishment is being carried out every 5 years. In 2005 the west coast was nourished with approximately 3.6 million m3 of sand. The expenses are shared between the Danish state, the administrative district of Ringkøbing and the affected coastal municipalities. In 2000, sand nourishment of about 120.500 m3 was carried out. For the southern part of Skallingen, considerations regarding the necessity of coastal protection measures are still ongoing.
Without coastal protection of the Danish west coast an average of approximately 1 metre of coast would disappear every year. Measurements show that there has been no retreat of the coastline in the past years. Coast nourishment has stopped the natural retreat of the coast.
Further reading
Danish Coastal Authority
Solutions for coastal protection in the Wadden Sea region, CPSL (2005)