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Borth a Mecca for Watersports? [Cambrian News Article]
justal - 31-7-2002 at 18:44

The following is an article from the Thursday August 1st Cambrian News:

quote:

Borth a mecca for watersports?

A custom-built artificial reef could transform Borth into a money-spinning UK mecca for surfers and other water-sports enthusiasts, it was claimed this week.
It would also provide a low-cost environmentally-friendly solution to the town's sea defence problems, helping to end an embargo on new building development because of the concerns of flooding.
The reefs, pioneered by New Zealand marine engineer Kerry Black, consist of huge sausage-shaped bags of sand lowered into the sea from purpose-built ships about 250m from the shore. <snip>
They can be designed to provide surfing waves of varying shapes and sizes, while dramatically reducing the power of the sea before it reaches the shore.
<large snip on the costs...basically cheaper than big horrible concrete groynes!>
Borth Surf Club members (yes there are a couple of them!!) say the development would also be welcomed by other water-users, including swimmers, canoeists and body-boarders.
<snip>
The Environment Agency confirmed this week it was opposing all new developments in Borth until the threat of flooding to the town had been lessened. A spokewoman said: "Tidal or river flooding in Borth could be catastrophic, and the concept of increasing the number of people or properties at risk is unacceptable.


What do you reckon??
I can see that it would benefit surfers and windsurfers (just imagine a 250m lagoon before hitting the waves at full speed!) But I can't really see it making Borth a mecca for surfers as you still need a decent swell to produce the waves even if the seafloor topography is perfect.
It could help sea defences though and is much cheaper than replacing and maintaining the existing groynes.
Environmentally friendly??..Of course not, how can anything that alters the natural water and sediment dynamics of the coast not have a knock-on effect somewhere else?...I'm sure the dunes at Ynyslas would be affected for a start as they need a constant supply of sand from somewhere and if the artificial reefs start baffling the sand further south along the coast it must affect the dunes and their ecosystem...

I'm not against the plan...better quality surf and a nice lagoon are high on my list of priorites, but there are lots of other implications to be considered first.

Al.