Marsh Grass Protection with Low-Cost Breakwaters Shoreline Erosion Control Demonstration

Previous research with the use of marsh grasses for the control of shoreline erosion has produced excellent short-term (one to five years) results. Unfortunately, use of the method on moderately exposed shorelines in our estuaries has shown limited long-term (20 to 30 years) success. This report describes the design and construction of erosion control demonstration projects using a combination of planted marsh grasses and low-cost wooden breakwaters. The breakwaters can extend the effective lifetime of planted marshes to that of bulkheads and other common erosioncontrol methods. Since it entails to creating a marsh where none previously existed, significant environmental advantages are apparent over most other erosion-control methods. The method can be attractive to property owners because the marsh/breakwater is significantly less costly than other alternatives offering the same level of protection and useful lifetime.