by Anna Salzburg, JRA Intern
Residents of the
James River watershed and those visiting the James River typically do so
because they want to reach the water, dip their toes in it, and see the
wildlife embracing their natural habitat.
Unfortunately, artificial shoreline armor used to protect against
shoreline degradation and stream bank destabilization resulting from
ever-rising sea levels and increased stormwater flushes, prevents citizens from
enjoying our water resources to their fullest.
What this
conservation tip is really addressing is erosion and installing a “living
shoreline” to resolve issues that result from erosion. Open, linear shorelines receive the full
impact of a wave, thereby increasing erosion.
A living shoreline incorporates an irregular shoreline design that
causes waves to diverge, spread the energy out, and decrease erosion. The Upper James River watershed experiences
erosion, but with much smaller bank widths/depths and lower fetch factors (open
water distance) that increase the potential for erosion. Still, in these areas storm surges can
overwhelm even the best management practices installed, resulting in pollution
and erosion issues. The living shoreline
in the upper reaches of the James requires planting native species on an
approximately 2:1 slope within the riparian buffer area to prevent land loss
due to erosion. JRA strongly recommends
consulting with a professional in both streambank and shoreline restoration
before conducting any activities in or near ANY body of water. Even wetlands, streams, and creeks that
appear dry most of the year are still regulated by the local, state, and
federal agencies as jurisdictional areas.
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Jamestown 4-H Educational Center
living shoreline project
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A living
shoreline results in many positive functions, which are similar to those of a wetland
or any natural buffer abutting a water resource. These positive functions include trapping
sediment pollution, filtering pollution, providing habitat and food for
wildlife, improving water quality, and decreasing the amount of nutrient
pollution. Materials used on a living shoreline
include marsh plantings, shrubs, trees and a variety of structural and organic
materials; including wetland plants, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), oyster
reefs, and coir fiber logs. Artificial
shoreline armor products include riprap, bulkheads, and flood walls. Unfortunately, artificial armor does nothing
to increase the natural habitat and actually increases the rate of coastal
erosion (NOAA).
An example of a
successful living shoreline project on the James River is the Jamestown 4-H
Educational Center. This project
involved 400 feet of shoreline eroding at 18 inches a year. A group of volunteers laid out the planting
grid, drilled in the plant holes, fertilized the holes, and planted. Stone sills are sometimes used at the base of
a living shoreline to protect the plants, especially while they grow strong
enough to withstand storm erosion. A
video of this project is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyR249Af_FE
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