Lab 10; E-OC103 Exploring the Deep

Coastal Erosion
You have just won the lottery (or perhaps were chosen in the 1st round of the NBA draft), and are
going to use some of your windfall to build yourself a dream house on the Oregon Coast. The property
you have chosen sits on top of a cliff with a spectacular view of the ocean. You would like to build
your mansion as close to the cliff edge as possible, but erosion of the sea cliff is such that the cliff edge
is retreating from the sea at an average rate of 30 cm/yr. In accordance with your building permit, the
outermost wall of your house must be at least 20 feet (6.1 m) from the cliff edge, and since you want
the best possible view, you build it exactly at the 20-foot mark.
1. What is the average retreat rate of the cliff in inches/year? ________ (2 pts.)
2. At the average retreat rate, how long until the cliff face retreats to the wall of your house (at which
time you will probably want to move out)? __________ (2 pts.)
3. Assume that you can find special erosion insurance that costs $3000/yr for a house within 8 m of a
sea cliff, but costs $4000/yr for a house within 2 m of a sea cliff. How long until erosion reduces your
original 6.1 m setback to only 2 m and your insurance rate goes up? ________ (2 pts.)
4. A consulting engineer you hired tells you that you can delay by 10 years the retreat of the sea cliff to
the 2 m mark from your house if you install riprap and other erosion control features at the base of the
cliff. How much in extra insurance payments would you save during that 10-year delay? _____ (2 pts.)
5. Installing the erosion control features in the previous question will cost $3500, but will cause
increased erosion to your next-door neighbor's property, and it will cost you $8000 in legal fees to
defend yourself from your neighbors lawsuit. Is the insurance savings more than the cost of the
erosion control features and the legal fees combined? ________ (2 pts.)
6. In your opinion, is the total cost of the erosion control, including installation, legal fees, and bad
blood with your neighbor, worth it because of the additional time it will give you before you have to
abandon your house? Conversely, what would you do if the tables were turned, and your neighbor
installed an erosion control system that caused increased erosion to your property? (2 pts.)

To answer the following 3 questions, read the article published in 2000 in the FEMA News (Federal
Emergency Management Agency) on coastal erosion (available as a PDF under the Lab 10 heading in
Week 10 Course Documents).
7. Approximately what proportion of structures within 500 feet of the U.S. coastlines and Great Lakes
shorelines will fall victim to erosion by the year 2060? ______ (3 pts.)
8. What is the average annual cost of coastal erosion to U.S. homeowners? ____ (3 pts.)
9. True or false: The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) covers erosion damage that occurs
during floods, but does not cover damage from gradual erosion. _____ (2 pts.)

E-OC103

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Lab #10