Living shorelines are a method of coastal management that reintroduces vegetation and natural fill materials to arrest erosion, protect shorelines, and dissipate wave energy from watercraft wake and storm surge. Unlike engineered solutions like seawalls and bulkheads, living shorelines are adaptable, grow in size, provide habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species, protect the actual water body from pollution, are aesthetically pleasing, and often a more economical solution. All engineered structures require perpetual vigilance, and they all fail at some point without preventative maintenance and a plan to replace or repair. On the other hand, once established, living shorelines can recover from catastrophic damage and can even rebuild a shoreline through a process called sediment accretion.
While it may seem to us that creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, estuaries, and beaches are numerous, we actually have a finite amount of water and an even more limited amount of shoreline habitat and coastal adapted wildlife, which are all under pressure from human development, pollution, and man-made climate change. Living shorelines act like an organ of a waterbody – they process nutrients, regulate temperature, provide oxygen, and recycle and sequester waste. When waterbodies are stripped of a significant amount of shoreline habitat, their ecosystems and water quality quickly decline, and this has negative impacts on wildlife as well as property value.
PBDC staff can assess, design, and implement living shoreline strategies using a selection of materials and plant life indigenous to your location so that your living shoreline protects your property and is a lasting and functional refuge for local wildlife.