How do they add fill to islands - to raise the elevation?

Question

do they bring it in by boat and dump it on the island? do they take it from the sea bed and dump it on the island?

specifically, i want to know how they'd do it for a small caribbean atoll with shallow waters and reef all around. its not deep enough to bring in a boat, the nearest rock sea floor (ie not coral) is hundreds of feet of the coast. so how would I raise the elevation of the island?

Answer 1

In Cancun Mexico after hurricane Wilma they commissioned a company to come in and pump sand  onto beaches, taking the sand from the deep waters.

But Mother nature has other ideas, the tides and storms wash the sand away but it can also bring it back. Beach erosion is a big problem.

I don't know if that answered your question. )

Answer 2

Not sure what you meant by this.

Islands were formed from volcanic eruptions, and the top soil here is only about 2-24" deep.

Beaches erode and come back with the tides, and there is run off from construction.

Answer 3

stella and yankee_sailor are on point.  The only way to do this is to ship in sand and earth via boat from another location and dump it until you reach the desired elevation.  That's how they turned Gorda Cay in the Bahamas into Castaway Cay.

Answer 4

I have a friend with a tugboat and barge that takes sand from Barbuda and hauls it all over the Caribbean, mostly making beaches in Mustique for the rich and famous....so yes it can be done...although not cheaply!