Environmental Enhancement of Infrastructure
Cleveland Harbor East Arrowhead Breakwater Demonstration Project Cleveland, Ohio, United States The East Arrowhead Breakwater—a rubble mound structure built to protect the entrance to Cleveland Harbor—had deteriorated over time due to wave damage from Lake Erie open waters. Routine maintenance of the breakwater was needed to preserve safe navigation in Cleveland Harbor. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) partnered with the USACE Buffalo District (LRB) to design and implement modifications to LRB’s normal breakwater repair procedures at this site in 2012. As an Engineering With Nature demonstration project, this involved adapting the design of the standard concrete toe blocks used for breakwater maintenance. The toe blocks would be modified in shape and surface texture in three different ways to create habitat opportunities otherwise not present for Great Lakes species. After monitoring results were evaluated, shapes and textures found to best serve as habitat to native species were selected to be incorporated more broadly across future navigation repair and maintenance projects. This work was funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and managed by the Great Lakes National Program Office.
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