There’s A Good Reason For The Bright Orange Additions To The Cape Lookout Shoreline

Visitors to North Carolina’s beloved Cape Lookout Lighthouse won’t need to look very hard to notice the newest addition to the coastline. The long strands of bright-orange cylinders on the Sound side beach are, simply put, unmissable. 

Cape Lookout National Seashore addressed the presence of the wave attenuation system on Facebook last week, explaining its role in the ongoing effort to protect the barrier island and its landmark lighthouse amid rising sea levels.  

“Wave attenuators are designed to help break up and reduce the force of incoming waves,” the seashore wrote alongside a photo of the orange coastline. “This device, along with a series of jersey barriers installed last year, are part of an ongoing effort to protect these historic structures. This device was donated to the park by Save Cape Lookout Foundation.”

The seashore noted that the current wave attenuation system and the jersey barriers are temporary protective measures, adding that there are plans in place to “provide longer lasting solutions.”. 

“In November of this year, the Army Corps of Engineers will begin a dredging project on the channel from Harkers Island to Barden Inlet,” the post continued. “Some of the sand removed from the channel floor during dredging will be used to build up the beach near the lighthouse. Once that is complete, the NPS will design a living shoreline to protect this section of beach.” 

Unlike the current wave attenuation system, living shorelines allow for natural processes to take place to minimize the effects of waves.