Waterfront Development and the Changing Coastline

When developments are constructed near the shoreline, they often require protective measures to safeguard against erosion, flooding, and rising sea levels. These ‘hard’ engineering measures—such as bulkheads, revetments, groins, and breakwaters—and ‘soft’ approaches like beach nourishment, dune restoration and living shorelines aim to protect properties but frequently disrupt natural processes. This disruption of natural processes can have a “ripple” effect on beaches and habitats.

While shore protection structures can safeguard land, homes, and property, they may also unintentionally degrade beaches and nearby habitats. For example, structures designed to armor the shore, such as bulkheads and revetments, usually prevent beaches from naturally replenishing themselves, leading to long-term erosion and habitat loss. Other structures designed to modify the processes that operate on a beach, such as breakwaters and groins, may protect beaches from erosion or even build beaches over the short term, but not necessarily over the long term.

All structures impact beaches in some manner and therefore, the organisms that depend on the beach's survival for their survival. “Softer” solutions, such as beach nourishment, have been shown to be an effective way to increase resilience for both humans and organisms. Unfortunately, living shorelines are not effective along coasts that experience larger waves, currents, and storms.

Development impacts more than just land—it affects the entire coastal ecosystem. The installation of erosion and flood control structures can reduce sandy beaches and marsh habitats, critical spaces for species like the Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle, shorebirds, and other wildlife. These impacts include beach narrowing, habitat loss, and the encroachment of vegetation onto the sandy beaches.

Protecting the Chesapeake Bay’s coastline while accommodating waterfront development is possible through thoughtful, well-designed solutions in full knowledge of the local coastal dynamics. Techniques such as living shorelines can work in low energy environments. In higher energy environments without natural protection from coves and embayments, like those coastlines facing the main Bay, re-nourishing beaches with beach quality sand, building or restoring dunes, and in some cases, installing breakwaters and groins can help support both human needs for development and the natural environment.