COMPARE Technologies
Conventional Breakwater
Typical severe scouring from deflection barriers. The constant circulation scallops out the shore and makes it extremely challenging for delicate seagrass and similar natural recovery to ever take hold. Hardaway, C., & Byrne, R. J. (1999) Shoreline Management In Chesapeake Bay
The Solution Wave Attenuation Device (WAD®) Arrays
Image from Living Shoreline Solutions Inc. (LSSI) Audubon’s Sunken Island & Bird Island Sanctuary Restoration Project. Saving shorelines from erosion and developing a true natural habitat that mimics the natural environment for wildlife above and below the surface. The living shoreline helps keep the island intact for pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets, and spoonbills, among others. They are also pH neutral and designed for oysters, barnacles and other sessile organisms to attach immediately, which are food for fish and birds.
| Conventional | WAD®s |
|---|---|
| Promotes Erosion, Unnatural Shoreline | Stops, Even Reverses Erosion, Promotes Beach Accretion and Natural Shoreline |
| Technology: Solid, Deflection | Hollow & Porous, Energy Attenuation |
| Interrupts Natural Beach Processes (Long Shore Drift) | No Net Negative Impact on Long Shore Drift, Compliments Natural Current and Drift Patterns |
| Inhibits Accessibility | Preserves Accessibility |
| Negative Environmental Impact | Environmentally Friendly (Promote Stable Beach Habitat, Negligible Live Bottom Impact; Passive Accretion, Ecological Enhancement) |
| Permanent | Portable, Fluid, Diverse Array Design and Felxible Placement |
| Expensive (Requires Constant Nourishment) | Significant Cost Savings (Effective Sediment Management, Decreases or Ends the Need for Nourishment) |