October 30, 2014
Where bulkheads fail, living shorelines thrive
... With the project in Lewes, and in similar project at the Indian River Inlet and in New Jersey, the partnership is trying to design a shoreline that is effective while still environmentally friendly.
... The reason behind selecting such a visible site is simple - to show property owners and municipalities there is an alternative to bulkheads.
... Living shorelines vary site to site, depending on the conditions and needs of an area. The Lewes site uses coconut fiber logs, more than a foot wide and about 10 feet long, to create a bench for mud and water to settle into.
... The goal is to have plants and animals return to the shoreline over time. Mussels and oysters are especially important because both have strong adhesives and stick togehter, Kreeger said, creating an armor.
... Over time and through big storms, Moody believes the attitudes about bulkheads are changing.
"People are seeing the hardened stuff fail," he said.
And while bulkheads and rip rap were long considered the best protection, that is not really the case, he said.