Application of Permeable Groins on Tourist Shore Protection

The Northwestern region of Egypt is characterized by its virgin nature with its all-original rural conditions without human interference. During the last few decades, the beach strips that overlook the waterfront have witnessed an urbanization revolution. The majority of the carried out installations fall within one single sector of investment, which locally called "Tourist Village". Human intervention in the coastal balance, by installation of different kinds of measures in the near shore zone, causes more diverse side effects and environmental deterioration. The unlucky shores subjected to erosion; one of these shores is located at about 140 km to the west of Alexandria and extends to about 1100 m. The shoreline change simulation for this shore is calibrated and modeled by GENESIS. The suggested protection measure was permeable groins. These groins, with its minimal effect on the adjacent shores, verify the requirements of Northwestern coastal protection policy. The proposed permeable groin is composed mainly of supported piles as main elements. In between each two piles, a wave screen is mounted. It is characterized by less water blocking, so it permits water flow exchange, and exerting slightly less total hydrodynamic force compared to a conventional pile groin. A construction system is designed to effectively reduce the installation time and in turn low cost. The modeling results and estimated cost show that the deterioration in the shoreline could be controlled with minimal side effects on the adjacent shores and with valued low cost.