Living shorelines becoming more prevalent in protecting NC's coast

One environmentally friendly approach is beginning to gain attention — living shorelines. Coastal areas face many threats from hurricanes and strong storms. It’s left many wondering how to protect their property.

“They function as a speed bump, said coastal scientist Dr. Lexia Weaver. "So basically they reduce wave energy, they dissipate the wave energy to protect shorelines from erosion.”

These living shorelines can be made up of several types of materials. The shorelines provide habitat for wild oysters and other species which can help improve water quality. While the concept has been around for a while, a growing amount of people are turning toward this option.

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“What they are basically comprised of, is an off-shore structure that’s comprised of natural materials such as oyster shells, rock, granite and some new materials that we are trying out,” said Weaver. “Opposed to living shorelines, bulkheads and sea walls are also an alternative approach to shoreline stabilization.”

Living shorelines are also considered to be more affordable than sea walls and homeowners say they even faired better during storms.

The living shoreline for Dodie and Keith Blakely has done so well that they are now in the process of adding on to the existing shoreline.

“It’s done great even after some of the tropical storms we’ve had and hurricanes," said Dodie. "There might be one or two bags that I've had to move and put back on top but they did fine and in areas where we have the sea wall we had more erosion behind the sea wall because of the wave action.”

The Blakelys say after having their shoreline in place for several years they strongly encourage any sound front or creek front property owners to install one.

“We’ll have a long stretch of coast that will have a living shoreline,” said Keith.

“The more development we have, the more run-off we have, the more pollution we’re going to have, everyone if they have a waterfront property if they can do that, then they’re going to help clean the water so that we can all still enjoy the water for years to come,” Dodie said.

The Coastal Federation says they have also have access to grant funding that is allowing them to help cover some of the costs homeowners incur while installing a living shoreline.​