Action Examples: Relocation of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina
Introduction:
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, stood 1,500 feet from the Outer Banks shoreline in North Carolina when it was built in 1870. By 1998, the lighthouse stood only 120 feet from the sea. Using predictions of future sea-level rise, analysts expected the lighthouse would be lost to the sea by the year 2018 if no action were taken. The lighthouse is an important historical site with intrinsic value. The National Park Service determined that the most feasible way to save the lighthouse was to move it 2900 feet farther inland at a cost of $4.6 million.
Analysis:
Scientists expect sea-level rise in the region of at least 2.4 inches by the year 2018, which would cause the North Carolina shoreline to retreat a minimum of 157 feet; this amount of retreat would have ensured the destruction of the lighthouse. North Carolina, along with the National Park Service, commissioned several studies on how to protect the Lighthouse from being lost to the sea.
The National Academy of Sciences asked a panel of experts to recommend the best long-term solution to save the lighthouse. The panel determined that relocating the lighthouse was the most cost-effective way to save this national historic landmark. The relocation process began on December 14, 1998 and the lighthouse was reopened at its new location, 2900 feet inland, on May 26, 2000.
Given the rate of sea-level rise, the panel also noted that future moves of the lighthouse probably would be necessary. Therefore, steel lifting beams were left under the lighthouse so that reliable and cost-effective incremental relocation can be undertaken as the need arises.
Sources:
- NPS: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Relocation Articles and Images
- National Park Service Cape Hatteras History of Daily Reports
- NPS: Saving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the Sea
- NAL: Saving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the Sea: Options and Policy Implications
Photo credits:
- National Park Service Lighthouse Move Images
- Carolina Coastal Science-Relocating a Lighthouse
- North Carolina Division of Tourism
- North Caroline DOT Aerial Photography
*All website references were accessed in April 2005.
