Shoreline erosion control using marsh vegetation and low-cost structures

Abstract

Erosion is a serious threat to waterfront property along most of North Carolina's extensive estuarine shoreline. It is accelerated by man's intensive use and mismanagement. As demand for shoreline property increases -- for homesites, recreational areas, marinas and industrial sites -- its value increases, and landowners become more concerned about loss of land to erosion. There is a variety of erosion-control methods -- some beneficial, some useless and others that are even detrimental. Structural methods such as bulkheads, groins, revetments and riprap are often effective. But they are expensive to build and maintain and may have adverse environmental effects. Establishing vegetation is much cheaper than structural methods of erosion control, and the new marsh provides habitat, food and nutrients for organisms in the surrounding estuarine waters.