There's a big plan to slow erosion in the Magdalen Islands. But will it work?

An $11.6-million plan to slow the erosion of a vulnerable section of coastline in Quebec’s Magdalen Islands will involve dumping thousands of tonnes of gravel on a beach that is being rapidly eaten away by the tumultuous waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The municipality’s director of engineering, Jean Hubert, said the project will do more than just protect buildings and infrastructure like a cinema and the region’s only hospital in Cap-aux-Meules.

“It also creates a base that can be used by people once the beach softens. It will make the sea accessible,” he said.

But the idea of using gravel to protect a coastline