Unique Solution Stabilizes Florida Shoreline, Restores Wetlands

摘要

The shoreline at Patrick Air Force Base in central Florida was experiencing erosion due to storm surges and wave action which was threatening the Family Camp. The clients, the National Guard and the United States Air Force, wanted to maintain the wetlands along the Banana River estuary, stop soil erosion, and stabilize the beach shoreline. They also desired a natural-looking solution that would enhance, rather than detract from, with the use of the area as a campground as well as be cost-effective. A design team from the Nashville and Knoxville offices of construction-engineering firm AMEC Farth & Environmental developed a solution which provides a permanent barrier to erosion through the use of buried gabions and mangrove root systems. The "hard" portion of the system (i.e., the gabion baskets) is completely hidden from view during normal conditions; only the natural mangrove vegetation is visible. The design received an "Engineering F,xcellence" award from the local American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) chapter. AMEC's sub-contractor for the shoreline stabilization project was Santa Cruz Construction of Merritt Island. Florida. George Ragazzo of Modular Gabion Systems, a division of the C.E.Shepherd Co., L.P. Houston, TX, provided project construction assistance.