But we won't stop trying to Stop it.

But we won't stop trying to Stop it.

EROSION CONTROL MAGAZINE

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January-February 2014 Vol. 21, No.1

 

FEATURE ARTICLE  

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Issue Highlights

Geosynthetics and RECPs    Sediment Control  

Silt-Fence 

IN THIS ISSUE

Strong Streambanks: Beauty and Function

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Of Erosion, Soils, and Seeds

Finding a Strategy for Sediment

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Shoreline Strategies

The fight against coastal erosion means planning for any contingency.

It’s home to 153 million people, or about 53% of the total US population. It generates tens of billions of dollars each year through industrial and business activities.

It is the coast: the 95,331 miles of ocean and Great Lakes coastlines. And while the population continues to increase in coastal areas—3,600 people relocate to coastal areas each day, according to the Office of Coastal and Resource Management of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the land is also becoming increasingly eroded.   

The erosion is due, in part, to human activity and to natural processes of sand erosion and deposition. Another potential cause for which many communities are now planning is that of rising sea levels due to climate change. Sea level rise exposes coastal communities to floods and increases their vulnerability to storm surges.

It’s a topic of growing interest to academicians, politicians, and coastal residents and business owners. Questions abound: How severe will it get? Should construction still be allowed in erosion-prone areas? Should there be a buyout of homes or other structures in high-risk zones?

Key elements of the technical letter include the following:

·             Establishing a strategic decision context for the project area, including an assessment of the potential for significant or catastrophic consequences in the near and far term. This would include awareness of strategic development investments that have the potential to shape future and long-term community development.

·             Using a variety of planning options—anticipatory, adaptive, and reactive—depending on the cost and the risk of getting the answer wrong.

·             Creating an awareness of critical thresholds, system connectivity, and cumulative system effects.

·             Framing and guiding the discussion “so that all involved can feel comfortable that we have adequately and realistically assessed the risks,” notes Moritz—from low risk to high risk—over the adaptation horizon of 100 years. 

While many project analyses are focused on a particular project and the impact on its immediate area, “in some cases, there is connectivity with other factors in the community,” Moritz points out.

“There are potential negative impacts if you do something in one place versus another,” she adds. “We are trying to be aware of the system and cumulative effects of what any particular action could have. Additionally, we’re trying to be aware of critical thresholds or tipping points beyond which an alternative is not sustainable.”