Beach Rehabilitation by Fill and Nourishment

Shore stability and alinement have been greatly influenced by the progressive development of seaside resorts and the construction of navigable inlets. During the past several years various methods of artificial nourishment by means of beach fill have been used with varying success. The basic methods of utilizing beach fill to maintain artificial nourishment are: (a) Stockpiling, in which fill is placed at one point and allowed to function as a feeder beach; (b) direct placement, in which the material is placed along the beach and an adequate beach width for immediate protection is created, which in turn provides the downdrift area with a littoral supply and continuous nourishment; and (c) a fixed or semifixed plant is positioned on the updrift side of a jettied inlet where it intercepts and bypasses the littoral drift to the downdrift side of the inlet. This paper will review several cases in which these methods of artificial nourishment have been used and will show the experience record.