A Living Shoreline Approach to Protect Historic Structures on Ocracoke Island

When the U.S. Coast Guard gave the historic Ocracoke Island Lifesaving Station to the State of North Carolina, and it became the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), the change represented real opportunity for improvement to the historic site. One particular improvement was the recovery of the eroding section of Pamlico Sound shoreline behind the facility where years of wind and wave action were chewing their way landward toward the buildings. In a collaborative effort with NCCAT, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, and the North Carolina State Construction Office, Moffatt & Nichol engaged in the complex task of permitting, designing, and constructing a natural estuarine shoreline and tidal marsh complex to replace the eroding shoreline, which had been unsuccessfully armored against the advancing sound. The restoration project involved the design and construction of breakwater sills just off shore to dissipate wave energy, regrading of the gradual slope of a natural shore profile, and re-establishment of native shoreline marsh vegetation. The design also involved additional green amenities. An interpretive boardwalk and pier were constructed and future construction phases will include stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) on upland areas, such as bioretention cells and pervious parking areas. In addition, oyster habitat restoration and seeding are planned for the site. Execution of the project also involved substantive opportunities for outreach and education by using teacher volunteers to implement the marsh vegetation plantings. Construction thus far has resulted in restoration of approximately 300 feet of natural shoreline and two acres of coastal salt marsh aquatic habitat. This case study presentation will review the complex permitting, design and construction issues involved in this highly public project built in a sensitive marine environment.