EXAMINING SEDIMENT DISTRIBUTION ALONG PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK BEACHES TO INFORM BEACH NOURISHMENT ACTIVITIES

Presque Isle State Park and its beaches are the largest in Pennsylvania and a major tourist attraction for the city of Erie. The park has been experiencing major issues with erosion of its beaches. This erosion is caused primarily by wave action and the longshore current that moves sand to the northeast with the prevailing wind direction. Sand then accumulates at the end of the sand spit, at Gull Point, which is an important bird nesting area. Fifty-five offshore breakwaters were installed in 1992 as part of a beach nourishment project managed by the Army Corps of Engineers who are stationed in the park to mitigate erosion and slow sediment transport. Although Placement of the breakwaters has resulted in the deposition of large tombolos behind the breakwaters. To further mitigate erosion, $3 million is provided annually by federal and state agencies for a beach replenishment program, which is identified as a high-priority project for the state of Pennsylvania. Sand is dredged from the North and South Piers located in Erie’s harbor and deposited starting at beach 5 and then beaches 6 and 7. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the distribution of sediments on Presque Isle. Buoy data from past years were analyzed for the average wave height, speed, direction, and turbidity. We hypothesized that the average grain sizes of shoreline beach berms should decrease further down current (northeast) toward Gull Point. Sets of samples were collected from active beach berms on six beaches, during periods of known wind and wave conditions. The grain size was analyzed via dry sieving and found to be generally finer in the down current direction, supporting our initial hypothesis. The purpose of this study is to use the collected data from the sand samples to better inform the beach nourishment program.