One of the major concerns for property owners along large water bodies is erosion. This is because erosion can cause severe damage to property, which can be very costly to repair. Thankfully, there are plenty of water erosion solutions to help owners protect their coastal property. In this article, we discuss these methods.
But first, let’s see why erosion control is important. The process of erosion can make the foundation of a property erode away. In addition to that, it can cause water to collect around it, loosening the soil, destabilising the property’s ground, leaving it vulnerable to further damage.
Water can also find its way through the porous surface of a foundation and cause moisture issues on your property, requiring expensive repairs. If in doubt, talk to a specialist who can advise the best course of action for erosion control.
With that said, let’s take a look at ways to prevent coastal erosion.
1. Installing rock bags
One of the most effective ways property owners by the coast can prevent erosion is by using rock bags. These are flexible mesh nets that can be used around roads, bridges, rivers, and shorelines to prevent and manage erosion. The bags are filled with rock or riprap, making them a highly-flexible protection system.
One of the best things about rock bags is that they do not require ground/bed preparations or foundations, meaning that they are a practical option when working on uneven or sloping surfaces. Kyowa rock filter bags prevent erosion by absorbing water energy into the space between the rocks, thus reducing water flow velocity.
2. Coir logs
Another way to prevent erosion of your coastal property is utilising coir logs. These logs are designed to suck up water like a sponge and help combat erosion by holding onto the sand, especially in windy conditions.
3. Gabions
Gabions can also be used to combat erosion. Also known as gabion walls, they consist of rectangular boxes of wire mesh filled with materials, such as stones, rocks, or concrete pieces. The steel wire mesh of gabions is constructed with double-twisted, hexagonal wire.
Gabion boxes can be placed on top of each other or in rows to build a retaining wall. This barrier helps stabilise the soil behind and minimise water entry. With time, vegetation can fill the gaps between the stones or rocks inside the mesh baskets, strengthening the structure. Gabions are long-lasting, but lack flexibility. Hence, they are not ideal for projects that seek to integrate and preserve a natural landscape – opposite to rock bags, which are fully covered and integrated into its surroundings.
4. Installing seawalls and bulkheads
Seawalls can do more than just prevent erosion. They can also be used to protect lands along oceans and large water bodies against harsh waves and tidal forces. A bulkhead, on the other hand, is placed at or near the ground level of a building to prevent water from seeping in between layers of earth at low tide. These options are good for large projects carried out by local councils but are not a chosen method if you are looking to get your own erosion solutions in place.
As you can see, using rock bags is, nowadays, the best option to tackle water erosion as they blend with their surrounding landscape, encouraging vegetation and marine growth. Rock bags are sustainable, made from recycled materials, durable, and can be deployed easily.
