PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: John Lynham
Co-INVESTIGATOR: Arlan Brucal

Seawalls protect homes but also cause beach loss. Is the benefit worth the cost? One way to estimate the cost is to see how much property values and associated property taxes fall after seawalls are constructed. Dr. Lynham has just completed this kind of study for San Diego county. His estimates suggest that San Diego county is losing $25 million a year in lost property taxes. If San Diego county was to protect its entire coastline with seawalls, the estimated total loss in property taxes is $1 billion. The purpose of this study is to perform a similar analysis in Hawaiʻi using a unique data set that has already been collected by Sea Grant staff.

Watch a podcast on this project here.