 Protect your bank with seawalls.
Seawalls protect banks and bluffs by completely separating land from water. Seawalls can be built in three basic types of design. They may consist of thin, interlocking sheet piles driven deeply into the ground; individual piles used to support an above-ground structure; or a massive gravity construction resting on the shore bottom or embedded slightly in it, supported by its own weight rather than by piling.
Seawalls must be protected against the action of water, both in front of the wall and behind it. Waves that lap over the top could erode the land behind the structure as if the wall were not there, so the structure must be built high enough to prevent such overtopping. Groundwater and rain percolating through the soil may build up pressure behind the wall, eventually pushing it over. Weep holes regularly spaced along the bottom of the structure and equipped with filters to keep them clear relieve this pressure so that the seawall will remain upright.
To be protected against the water's action on it's face, a seawall must be made of materials strong enough to withstand battering by waves and by wave-carried debris. Scour at the toe could eventually undermine the structure and tip it over. An apron of stones or other heavy material can be piled at the base of the wall to absorb the wave energy and protect the underlying soft earth or sand from being carried away.
Water flowing around the sides of the seawall or bulkhead can also cause severe erosion damage, so the structure must cover the entire surface that could be eroded. It should be well anchored to the bluff with wingwalls or returns to resist flank erosion.
Our engineering design team will find the best solution for your banks and bluffs.
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