Friday, October 19, 2012

Port Madison Bay



This is another site where an old bulkhead - or perhaps more accurately, several old bulkheads and a lot of rubble - have recently been removed.  A complex partnership of many different people came together to make this project happen.

This is a relatively low energy shoreline - wave action fades quickly entering the bay and the last real beach ends just short of this site.  That doesn't mean that the banks aren't subject to erosion, but the rates are low and the site is developed in such a way that minor erosion is not a problem.  Over time, some of the bank will crumble and a few trees will fall, but the resulting shoreline will be richer and more natural.  Ironically, it looks like much of the past erosion is of fill material that was placed over the natural bank - which is so often the case.

This is a concept that could apply to many, many sites in Puget Sound and maybe some more examples like this one will help show folks that unarmored shorelines can provide as many benefits as those that are buried in rock and concrete.

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