The construction of river dams for flood control and hydropower reduces sediment supply to many coastlines due to the trapping of sediment and the decrease in flood peaks and flood intensity. In places such as Southern California of the United States, in particular the San Luis Rey River, dams are built to control flooding of properties along the river. Ironically, in doing so, this is contributing to the damage of coastal properties due to a lack of sediment produced to protect the beaches. Another example is the Aswan Dam constructed on the Nile River, Egypt in 1964. Prior to the construction of the Aswan Dam, the Nile River delivered 60-180 million tonnes of sediment and water to the Mediterranean Sea every year. Sediment supply is now almost zero which has produced a significant imbalance to the near shore sedimentary budget, creating major erosion and shifting of sediment along the coast.