LOW COST SHORE PROTECTION
... a Guide for Engineers and Contractors
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this report is to familiarize engineers and contractors with various established
methods of low cost shore protection. It is written for the individual who is knowledgeable in general
civil engineering design and construction, but not a specialist in coastal engineering or shoreline
protection. This report can be used without other references, but many topics are discussed with only
minimal detail, so some additional reading may be necessary to gain a better understanding of the text.
The Suggested Reading section at the end of the report lists a full range of readily available books,
reports, and publications that are recommended for additional background study.
LOW COST SHORE PROTECTION
In distinguishing between low cost and cheap, one should remember that practically any method of
shore protection, if properly implemented, is expensive. Significant investments are required to achieve
the durability needed to resist even small waves. Low cost simply means that the various measures are
commensurate with the value of individual residential or commercial properties. The total cost of
implementation will vary with the different alternatives, but in all cases, there should be a suitable (and
affordable) range of solutions.
The methods described in this report are usually appropriate for use only in sheltered
waters. That is, they are generally not intended for open coast sites where they would be exposed
to the undiminished attack of large oceanic waves. Use of most of these structures in such areas
is definitely not recommended and entails a considerable risk of failure.
THE SHORELINE EROSION CONTROL DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM
From 1975 to 1980, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a program to develop and
demonstrate low cost methods of shore protection. This program was mandated by Section 54 of Public
Law 93-251, the Shoreline Erosion Control Demonstration Act of 1974. Working with the Soil
Conservation Service, the Corps designated 16 demonstration sites throughout the Atlantic, Gulf, and
Pacific coasts, Alaska and the Great Lakes. These sites were chosen because they represented a broad
cross section of shoreform and environmental conditions. This would permit wide application of the
results obtained to other sites located throughout the country. At each of these sites, various structures
and kinds of vegetation were established to evaluate their effectiveness in the local environment.
Twenty-one additional supplemental sites were also chosen where existing shore protection devices had
previously been established by others.
The devices at all 37 sites were intensively monitored over a period of months. Data that were
collected included daily visual observations of wave heights and directions, quarterly surveys of beach
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