An integrated habitat enhancement approach to shoreline stabilization for a Chesapeake Bay island community

• Published in: Wetlands ecology and management 2002-08, Vol.10 (4), p.289-302
• Main Authors: Hardaway, Cs, Varnell, Lyle M, Milligan, Donna A, Priest, Walter I, Thomas, George R, Brindley, Rebecca Ch
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic plants; Brackish; Breakwaters; Control systems; Environmental restoration; Habitats; Shore protection; Shoreline protection; Shorelines; Wave energy
• ISSN: 0923-4861; 1572-9834
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1020313020526

Shore protection and habitat enhancement along a residential island werethe main goals of this shoreline study. The physical and geological factorsnecessary to design shoreline stabilization structures capable of confidentlysupporting suitable and stable habitat enhancement/restoration substrate areemphasized since this area of study generally may be unfamiliar to wetlandresource managers. Erosion along the targeted shoreline is influenced by aunidirectional wave field from the south-southwest. Results of our analysesshowthat a headland control system comprised of headland breakwaters could be usedsuccessfully to stabilize the existing shoreline and provide resource managersflexibility in habitat restoration decisions. Headland breakwaters are designedto diffract wave energy so that shore planform equilibrium is attained and canbe sized and positioned to maximize the length of stabilized shoreline.Maximization of the new shoreline length provides increased subaerial,intertidal, and subaqueous environments for flexible habitat restorationalternatives. The final restoration design developed through this study willcreate approximately 69,000 m^sup 2^ of new habitat includingstable beach, dune, tidal marsh, scrub shrub, and submersed aquatic vegetation.An additional 2,000 m^sup 2^ of rock substrate habitat isprovided directly by the headland control structures.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]