Thousands of tonnes of sand could be moved from one east Devon town to another as part of a plan to shore up flood defences and restore a beach.
Dawlish Warren had lost about 100,000 tonnes of sand over 15 years, with most of it ending up at Pole Sands, near Exmouth, the Environment Agency said.
The agency and Teignbridge Council are considering dredging and bringing sand back along the River Exe to Dawlish.
The project could go ahead in the next three to four years, they said