ERDC/CHL CHETN-IV-61
December 2003
Jetty Spurs at Coastal Inlets for Reduction
of Navigation Channel Shoaling
by William C. Seabergh and Jennifer Krock
information on the effect of a jetty spur on the beachside circulation near a coastal inlet jetty and
discusses introductory design considerations relating to alteration of water and sediment circula-
tion near the beach side of jetties. Examples are presented from field and laboratory studies.
BACKGROUND: A jetty spur may be defined as a short structure added to a jetty that flanks a
navigation channel through an inlet. The spur will typically be nearly perpendicular to the jetty,
but may be oriented at some angle with respect to the jetty in the range of 45 to 90 deg. The spur
may be added on the beach side of a jetty to prevent sediment from entering the inlet or may be
placed on the channel side to divert the tidal current away from the jetty to reduce scour and
possible jetty instability. This CHETN discusses spurs placed on the beach or sea side of a jetty
as shown in Figure 1.
Channel
Bay
Beach
Jetties
Spur
Ocean
Figure 1. Example of a jetty spur
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