COASTAL RESILIENCY CONCEPTS: AN ONGOING PRACTICE FOR USACE BUFFALO DISTRICT

BY SHAINA SOUDER, Buffalo District

With unprecedented levels of precipitation during the spring and summer of 2019, both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, along with other Great Lakes, are experiencing record water levels, leaving many people asking questions about how to protect their shoreline from flooding and anticipated erosion.

In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District is taking proactive efforts to incorporate coastal resiliency concepts into infrastructure projects along the Great Lakes’ shorelines.

“We want to make sure that our actions will take care of the largest freshwater resource our nation has while reducing the risk associated with these extreme water events,” said Lt. Col. Jason Toth, Buffalo

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District biologist Kathleen Buckler, along with a team of biologists from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, performed pre-construction wetland assessments on 12 acres of an existing wetland as part of the Port Clinton Ecosystem Restoration Project, Oct. 3, 2018.

Photo by Christine Cardus

District commander. “When we look at the Great Lakes, we are talking about approximately 4,530 miles of shoreline, so to accomplish coastal resiliency, it is going to take unified state, local, and federal efforts.”

Buffalo District has been working on many projects that will result in long-term withstanding of high- and low-water-level conditions. The Braddock Bay Ecosystem Restoration Project along Lake Ontario and the Port Clinton Ecosystem Restoration Project on Lake Erie are among these projects.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District’s Braddock Bay Ecosytem Restoration Project, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, along with Lake Ontario in Greece, New York, withstood the higher lake levels this year, demonstrating a great example of coastal resiliency, June 25, 2019.

Photo by Shaina Shouder

The Braddock Bay project, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and substantially complete as of September 2018, addresses the gradual loss of a historic barrier beach and erosion of more than 100 acres of coastal wetlands along the Lake Ontario shoreline, through construction of a barrier beach, a 3-acre headland beach, and two 150-foot-long headland rubblemound breakwaters. The project benefits Lake Ontario and its residents by restoring 185 acres of coastal wetland, re-creating wildlife and plant diversity, and creating shoreline sustainability by protecting 0.6 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline. This project has already proven resilient, having withstood the record-high 2017 and 2019 water levels.

“Building coastal resiliency requires rethinking our approach to balancing coastal hazards, environmental benefits, and natural functions,” said Joshua Unghire, Buffalo District ecologist. “This must be done with an understanding of the factors that affect our coastlines, how they are changing, and what our long-term goals are for our coastal communities and environment.”

The Port Clinton Ecosystem Restoration Project, under the Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Restoration (GLFER) Authority, and using GLFER funds, started this year, working to restore 12 acres and add another 1.4 acres of coastal wetlands along Lake Erie. Project benefits include improved habitat for wildlife and plants and a restored vital stop-off point for migratory bird habitat, with secondary benefits of enhanced recreation, safety, and shoreline stability.

“Coastal systems are increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to the combined influence of coastal storms, development and population growth, geomorphic change, and sea-level rise,” as reported by the U.S. Army Research and Development Center report titled, Use of Natural and Nature-based Features for Coastal Resilience, published in January 2015.

Restoring natural features to the Great Lakes, such as coastal wetlands, will assist with functions such as reducing flood damage and erosion while improving water quality.

“Coastal resiliency is a critically important theme that will guide much of our district’s work moving forward for the next generation,” said David Schulenberg, Buffalo District Planning Branch chief.