A Conceptual Framework for Shoreline Management: Balancing Objectives and Risks

Session: 51. - Coastal Resilience

Rachel Malburg, US Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, [email protected]
Josh Unghire, US Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, [email protected]

Abstract

There is a growing interest to implement shoreline management solutions on the Great Lakes that maintain shoreline processes and habitat while also supporting shoreline resiliency. Solutions that involve softer components and mimic natural shorelines have become more desirable than traditional shoreline hardening and offer resilience in the face of coastal storms and flooding. Natural or nature based features and traditional hardened features occupy opposite ends of the green to gray continuum for shoreline management. Selecting an effective shoreline management approach from the continuum requires balance of project objectives with physical factors, intended benefits, and risk tolerance. A framework for determining a suitable approach for the appropriate location was developed by the USACE Buffalo District to provide guidance for effective shoreline management on Lake Ontario. The framework offers guidance to determine appropriate solutions for shoreline resiliency problems while considering project objectives, environmental and physical setting, benefits of natural features, and risk tolerance. This risk based framework is a tool for planners, engineers, and coastal managers with Lake Ontario as the primary setting, but is intended as a resource for resilient shoreline management throughout the Great Lakes. 

1. Keyword
coastal engineering

2. Keyword
Lake Ontario

4. Additional Keyword
shoreline resilience