San Francisco is planning one of the largest seawalls in California history to protect a sewage treatment plant at Ocean Beach, but scientists warn that hardening the coastline could accelerate the very erosion it's meant to stop. Nobody fully understands why sand has been migrating from the beach's south end to the north since the 1980s, and researchers argue that building a major structure without answering that question first is a significant gamble.

A Māʻalaea condominium in Maui has won county approval to remove its aging seawalls and replace them with a buried sand-filled geotextile "burrito" structure, a new native dune, and a public beach-access ramp—all for $2.4 million. It's a rare and encouraging example of aging hard armoring coming down in favor of a softer, more nature-friendly approach.

Pacifica surfers and engineers are pitching an artificial reef—roughly 20,000 truckloads of boulders submerged offshore in a triangular pattern—to slow waves, reduce erosion, and widen the beach. The side benefit: a potential world-class surf break. City and county officials are on board and have applied for state funding, though coastal experts caution it's not a silver bullet and needs more study before construction.

North Carolina's Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel released a draft report warning that building seawalls or terminal groins protects one stretch of coast at the expense of others, and can lead to loss of the public beach. As one CRC member put it: "You're picking who gets protected at the expense of someone else." The report lands as the state Senate moves forward with bills to roll back NC's longstanding ban on hardened structures.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew has introduced the bipartisan Coastal Trust Fund Act, which would establish a $1 billion per year fund for beach replenishment and protection, funded through existing offshore energy lease revenues rather than new taxes. It's a push to end the cycle of coastal towns waiting on disaster-driven federal funding and treat beach protection like the permanent infrastructure investment it should be.