Three-year pilot project tests coastal armour system designed to mimic natural rock pools
The Port of San Diego and Econcrete have embarked on a three-year pilot project to test a coastal armour system designed to mimic natural rock pools.
The project at Harbor Island in San Diego will demonstrate a new design of Econcrete’s interlocking Coastalock Tide Pool Armor.
Harbor Island is currently protected from storm flooding and erosion by a riprap rock mound, offering limited value for local ecosystems.
As part of the pilot project, the new installation will secure Harbor Island’s shoreline with 72 interlocking armor units designed to provide environmentally sensitive edge protection. Econcrete said that the system will requiring minimal maintenance and that the interlocking armour provides structural, ecological and community engagement benefits, including the promotion of marine organisms and restoration of local ecosystems.
Every six months after installation, Econcrete will evaluate the viability of the tide pool units as an ecological armouring replacement to traditional riprap.