Mitigating Shore Erosion Along Sheltered Coasts (2007) / Chapter Skim
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At the request of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology, this report examines the impacts of shoreline management on sheltered coastal environments and strategies to minimize potential negative 1A glossary of terms used in this report can be found in Appendix E
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Many of the processes that govern erosion on the open coast also apply to sheltered coasts, but compared to the typically long linear nature of open coasts, sheltered shorelines exhibit a more irregular configuration and often display very distinct geomorphic compartments containing a complex mix of resources that may vary from compartment to compartment. The lower energy conditions found on sheltered coasts create unique environments that foster habitats and ecological communities, such as marshes and mudflats, typically not found on open coasts.
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CURRENT APPROACHES TO MITIGATE EROSION The pressure to develop and stabilize shorelines in sheltered coastal areas is increasing; more people desire waterfront homes, raising coastal property values and creating strong incentives to protect high-priced real estate. There are several types of mitigation measures to stabilize shorelines, including structural hardening (e.g., seawalls, bulkheads, revetments)
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Decision-makers should appreciate the costs and benefits of the spectrum of potential solutions to shoreline erosion problems, including potential cumulative impacts on shoreline features, habitats, and other amenities. The management framework should encourage approaches that minimize habitat loss and enhance natural habitats in environments where such methods offer effective stabilization.
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From page 5... ...
Understanding Sheltered Shoreline Processes and Ecological Services Overall, less is known about physical process of sheltered coastal systems than of open coasts. Basic information, such as resource characterization, shoreline change analysis, sediment transport patterns, habitat function, and ecological services, is available for only a portion of the nation's sheltered shorelines and few programs address these knowledge gaps.
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Improved Awareness of the Choices Available for Addressing Erosion One barrier to changing the trend towards increased shoreline armoring is a general lack of knowledge and experience among decision-makers, particularly property owners, regarding alternative options for shoreline erosion response, the relative level of erosion mitigation afforded by the alternative approaches and their expected lifetime, and the nature of the associated impacts and benefits. This unfamiliarity with alternative engineering approaches has resulted in disinterest, concern, or disagreement among regulators regarding the ecological consequences of alternative shoreline stabilization measures.
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Cumulative Consequences of Erosion Mitigation Approaches Cumulative impacts3 encompass the combined effects on legal, social, ecological, and physical systems. From a legal or regulatory perspective, issuance of a permit may establish a precedent, potentially facilitating the approval process for future requests for similarly situated structures.
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• In the absence of a comprehensive assessment of the cumulative impacts of erosion mitigation measures, a precautionary approach should be used to prevent the unintentional loss of shoreline features and significant alteration of the coastal ecosystem. Permitting System FINDINGS: • The current permitting system fosters a reactive response to the problem of erosion on sheltered coasts.
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, Section 309 - Special Area Management Plans, thereby providing an opportunity to employ the federal consistency provisions of the CZMA to ensure that federal permitting actions are consistent with the plan. RECOMMENDATIONS: • Proactive erosion mitigation plans should be implemented to avoid unintended consequences when hardened shorelines reduce the recreational, aesthetic, economic, and ecological value of sheltered coastal areas.
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From page 10... ...
should be developed by local, state, and federal partners to address erosion on sheltered shorelines in a comprehensive, proactive manner. • Information obtained from monitoring programs should be incorporated in subsequent planning activities to support adaptive management as a mechanism to consistently evaluate and refine regional plans.
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