Shoreline Protection Projects

Hardened rock shoreline protection and nearshore rock breakwaters to reduce wave energies on shorelines in open bays, lakes, and natural and navigation channels. Some shoreline protection techniques, such as rock berms, are applied directly to the eroding shorelines to decrease erosion. Other techniques, such as segmented breakwaters and living shorelines, are placed in the adjacent open water in order to decrease a wave’s energy before it hits the shoreline and to promote the deposition of sediment along the shoreline. Common limitations of shoreline protection are geotechnical concerns (sinking and subsiding) due to soils not supporting the weight of the rocks, cost, depth of water, construction access, and induced erosion in certain areas.