The Evolution of Coastal Erosion Control Technology – Part 4

Hybrid Solutions
Hybrid solutions involve the use of multiple practices and technologies in combination. In many cases, hard armor can be used in combination with degradable materials. For example, in a coastal wetland restoration, degradable coir logs could be used alongside an artificial reef.

In a project completed last spring in Madison, CT, an existing sea wall along Long Island Sound was performing well, but the unreinforced vegetation above it had been ravaged by a series of coastal storms. An installation of turf reinforcement mats above the hard-armor wall solved the problem. The turf reinforcement mats allowed for the establishment of a strong stand or vegetation, while at the same time reinforcing the root-and-stem structure. This created a hybrid system far more resistant to wave impact and runoff from the property above.

Hybrid solutions offer project owners and designers the option to match site needs with a growing toolbox of both methods and materials. To use an old adage, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail after a while.”

Legal Implications
With expensive coastal properties at high risk in many areas, legal questions abound. Here are a just a few questions that are raised over and over again.

1. When abandonment of coastal properties is mandated, who is responsible, and how are the owners compensated?
2. If a manmade structure such as a groin or jetty causes damage to adjacent property, how is this issue fairly resolved?
3. When a severe storm destroys access to coastal homes, who pays for new road construction or emergency access?
4. Many homes have literally fallen into the sea. Do the owners have the right to seek compensation?
5. When homes are allowed to be built in highly vulnerable areas, can public officials find a way to justify their actions?

These are all troublesome questions; they are only a brief sampling of issues that have already been litigated, and there is no end in sight.

Moving Forward
As we look to the future, it is important to be proactive. We must pay close attention the scientific facts, and we must react accordingly.

Hard decisions loom ahead, including abandonment of existing coastal properties and even the abandonment of whole coastal communities. These are difficult issues to face. We must embrace and examine all the technology and best management practices that have been developed, and innovation in these areas must continue.

Regulations are already toughening, and that has to continue. Many states have already made provisions for sea level rise with regard to new construction. Other unresolved issues will continue to be discussed, such as who should pay the cost of retreat and risk assessment. The risks to our environment and our infrastructure are high; the risks to human life are even higher.

Our government bodies and our regulators have an obligation to take a leading role in this area. They must communicate with each other and share their successes and their failures. Of paramount importance is that our government leaders must keep an open mind and resist “digging their feet into the sand” that is literally eroding around them.

Most of all, all groups and individuals concerned with coastal erosion should work together toward making the best possible decisions.

As Ian McHarg states brilliantly as he wraps up his “Sea and Survival” chapter in Design With Nature, “May it be that these simple ecological lessons will become known and incorporated into ordinance so that people can continue to enjoy the special delights of life by the sea.”