Shoreline Erosion Control

Many people who live on the water are witnessing climate change first hand. Each year, water levels rise and tides push higher. On the United States East Coast in locations like the Chesapeake Bay, the sea level is rising faster because the land is sinking due to the geology of the region. Many anxious homeowners are advised to invest in bulkheads and rock (riprap) barriers. However, in areas where erosion is low to moderate, it is much less expensive to plant marsh vegetation.

How Plants Work to Protect Property

After a rain event, water runs off of the land and travels downhill toward waterways, loosening soil and carrying it away. Plants provide a surface to slow or stop sediment, which settles and builds up the land. As the months and years pass, beaches will grow.

Plants also act as a baffle to slow incoming waves. When there is less wave energy, soil is less likely to be loosened and wash away. As plants grow and roots extend into the ground they protect the base of the bank.

While rock also provides a surface to slow water and friction catches particulates, water that pours down and around rocks scours away the earth that is beside and beneath them. If rock is used, a geotextile fabric should be installed between the ground and rock to prevent scouring.

What Plants and Where

Use plants that are native to your area and that can tolerate wet conditions and standing water. Plant two or more kinds so that the probability of success is increased. When selecting plants, consider the saltiness of the water and the length of time water will impinge on the planted area. Select plants that are appropriately salt and water tolerant.

Organizations like the National Estuarine Research Reserve System provides research and educational outreach on the United States Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts. This is a good place to start learning. In addition, states and universities provide the impartial information that you need and don’t gain from selling plants or equipment.

On saltwater, tidal regions along the East Coast, smooth cordgrass and saltmeadow hay are used to create marsh fringes. In Virginia, the Department of Environmental Quality provides a great deal of additional information about building and maintaining a “living shoreline.” They also promote relevant workshops held by educational institutions like the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Cost Savings

In Virginia, no permits or fees are required for landowners to plant along their shoreline. However, permits are sometimes required to bring in clean sand to create a planting area or to thin existing trees to allow sunlight into the area. Landowners can do the work themselves and save. A landowner may invest in bales of hay to place between the new growth and the existing lawn until the new growth is established.

Once plants are in place, many more “volunteers” will colonize free of charge when their seeds are disbursed by wind, birds, and other natural means.

Shoreline protection with plantings can cost property owners as little as $15 per foot, while bulkheads and riprap (rock) costs $75 per foot.

Other Savings

In addition to the significant cost savings, plants slow runoff and thereby improve water quality. Plants with roots hold the water in place; water that is not used by the plants soaks into the ground to refill underground aquifers.

Vegetation is also an important source of food and provides a protective environment for birds and fish to rest, breed, and grow. Marshes provide rest and recreation for humans who enjoy hunting, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching!

Wetlands habitat was once believed to be useless and even harmful to human health, which led to swamp draining. Developers have also placed too many roads, homes and businesses too close to the shore, which has had catastrophic consequences especially during recent hurricanes.