Beach and Dune Restoration

ECE’s team of professional engineers, geologists and scientists has extensive experience in all aspects of beach nourishment and dune restoration projects for storm damage reduction, enhancement of recreational areas and/or environmental restoration purposes. ECE has successfully implemented beach and dune restoration projects for municipalities and private landowners alike. Our experience includes field investigations and data collection, coastal numerical computer modeling, planning and design, permitting and funding acquisition, environmental studies, public workshops and outreach, construction management and post-construction monitoring.

East Grace Bay Beach Nourishment Project

ECE successfully implemented a beach restoration program consisting of a one-mile beach nourishment project and five T-head groins. The project’s design maximized project longevity and economic benefits to the upland properties while minimizing adverse impacts to biological resources. This beach served to protect upland properties during Hurricanes Hanna and Ike in 2008.

Pelican Point Beach Restoration

Construction was completed in 2006 for this 0.5-mile, 70,000 CY beach nourishment project to restore a severely eroding shoreline fronting a historically rocky headland. The beachfill was stabilized with a T-head groin. This beach served to protect upland properties during Hurricanes Hanna and Ike in 2008.

Water Cay Beach Development Project

A beach restoration program, along with a marina and navigation channel, was designed for a high end commercial resort development group to create a recreational beach for a future resort hotel site. The beach restoration portion of the development included identification of an offshore borrow source and plans for 240,000 CY oceanfront sand placement with three T-head groins to stabilize the beachfill along this historically rocky shoreline.

Dellis Cay Beach Nourishment Project

ECE managed a beach restoration program to support the development of a 250-unit mixed-use development. The project’s design utilized 130,000 CY of high-quality sand dredged from a nearby channel and bypassed to the highly eroded oceanfront shoreline along Dellis Cay.

Emerald Beach Nourishment Project

This project involved design, permitting and construction oversight for the dredging and conveyance of 300,000 CY of high quality sand to restore a highly eroded beach. In addition, work was completed for the construction of a boat access channel for sport and commercial fishing.

Casey Key and Siesta Key Emergency Dune Reconstruction

ECE has assisted over 10 private home owners on Casey Key and Siesta Key since 2007 with emergency dune reconstruction to increase storm damage protection, facilitate beach access and enhance aesthetics and the environment. These projects include sand placement, grading, re-vegetation and construction of dune walkovers.

Town of Palm Beach, Beach Management Program Peer Review

ECE has been engaged by a consortium of 2,600 property owners to conduct various design and peer review work since 2007. This work has included an independent peer review of the Town’s Beach Management Program which is separated into eight distinct shoreline reaches spanning a total of 12.3 miles.

Town of Palm Beach, Reach 7 Beach Nourishment Project, Post-Construction Assessment

Working for a coalition of eight condominium associations, ECE provided an in-depth evaluation of the performance of a 2-mile beach nourishment project. ECE identified the primary factors contributing to high sand losses and provided recommended actions and solutions to ameliorate the high rates of beach erosion and loss of the protective dune.

Longboat Key Beach Nourishment

Ms. Erickson, as the Project Manager and Engineer-of-Record, was responsible for the design, engineering and financing project elements of a 9-mile beach nourishment project at Longboat Key. She was responsible for the design and engineering, evaluation of beach nourishment design alternatives, state funding acquisition, state and federal permitting, preparation of contract documents and construction management services from 1987 to 1995, while working at ATM. She continues to work for private owners within the community in close coordination with the Town.

Third Turtle Beach Restoration Project

ECE planned and designed the beach restoration and enhancement project to restore the severely eroded beaches fronting the Atlantic Ocean by conducting a detailed bathymetric survey of the beaches and the interior marina basin, and developing a hydrodynamic model of Turtle Cove basin to determine the environmental impacts of changing the waterfront basin boundaries at the development site.

St. Lucia Coastal Improvements

A design to create a recreational beach along a rocky shoreline was developed by ECE to provide a beachfront amenity for a luxury desitination resort. The project design incorporates 40,000 CY of beach sand stabilized by three coastal structures to defelect currents away from the beach and thereby reduce wave energy reaching the shoreline.

Town Of Palm Beach, Beach Restoration Project

Ms. Erickson, as the Project Manager and Engineer-of-Record, was responsible for the design, engineering, permitting and financing project elements of a 900,000 CY, 1-mile beach nourishment project with 11 groin coastal structures for the Town of Palm Beach (1994-1995). ECE continues to work for private owners within the community in close coordination with the Town.

Providenciales Comprehensive Beach Management Plan

ECE prepared a comprehensive beach management plan for the beaches along the northeast shoreline of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. The plan studied the coastal processes and causes of sand deficits along the subject beaches as well as provided an inventory of existing coastal structures and beach conditions. An assessment of pending coastal restoration projects was also provided. A beach monitoring program was developed to assess individual and cumulative project performance.

St Jean Bay, Assessment of Coastal Processes, St Barths

The beaches fronting the Camp David property residing along St Jean Bay is experiencing a chronic loss of sand to both the nearshore and offshore environments resulting in erosion and inundation during normal seasonal storms. ECE evaluated the current beach conditions and erosion patterns and identified short and long term corrective measures to ameliorate the erosion and provide protection to the beaches.

Martin County 4-Mile Beach Nourishment Project

Ms. Erickson, as the Project Manager and Engineer-of-Record, was responsible for the design, engineering, and permitting project elements of 1.6 MCY, 4-mile beach nourishment project in Martin County sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1994-1995).

Indian River County Beach Preservation Plan

Ms. Erickson was responsible for the formulation of a financing plan for the restoration of five beach segments spanning 8.3 miles along Indian River County’s critically eroding Atlantic beaches. She also served as the Project Director for the beach nourishment construction for Sectors 1 and 7 (2000-2003).