World's First Submerged 'Beachsaver' Reef
Starts As Part Of New Jersey Pilot Project

Installation of the world's first submerged "Beachsaver" reef for erosion control began at the Avalon ocean resort community recently, 250 feet offshore. Giant 21-ton concrete modules were lowered into the water from a barge-mounted heavy crane and guided into position on the ocean floor by a team of divers.

The Avalon reef is the first of three planned as part of the New Jersey Pilot Reef Project. The project combines the construction of the specially designed reefs with sand nourishment programs to extend the life expectancy of beach replenishment.

The 1,000-foot Beachsaver manmade reef was designed and manufactured by Breakwaters International Inc. of Flemington, N.J. The reef will extend south along the beach from a jetty at 8th Street. Breakwaters International officials expect to complete the Avalon reef in approximately two weeks.

Other Beachsaver reefs planned in the N.J. Pilot Reef Project will be at Cape May Point and Belmar-Spring Lake. Funding for the $2.1 million project is being shared by state, federal and local governments.

The Beachsaver reef is formed from 100 interlocking triangular-shaped modules, each 10 feet long. The modules have been shipped by a barge from their manufacturing site at Port Monmouth, near Sandy Hook. A crane on the barge is placing the modules at the site, where they will remain submerged at mean low tide. Divers guide the modules into place and secure them along the ocean floor.

The Beachsaver reef designs have several patents and patents pending. They are designed to reverse erosion by enabling wave action to carry sand onto a beach and hold it there. Their patented Backwash Flume channels a curtain of sand-laden water above the reef, for incoming waves to carry that sand back onto the beach. The reef's shape is designed to reduce wave energy by up to 30%. The interlock design and mass (each 1,000-foot reef will weigh 4 million pounds) are designed to make the reefs stable in extreme wave force conditions.

"In the aftermath of the storms of the past two winters, we need to look at short-term and long-term protection measures," said Richard E. Creter, president of Breakwaters International. "Our Beachsaver reefs are designed to reduce damage by reducing the force of the wave striking the shore. We expect the reefs at Avalon and other locations will enable us to quantify the degree to which the reefs can extend the life span of a nourished beach. In doing so, they will offer protection and mitigate hazards during storm events."

Breakwaters International has been developing and field testing its reefs for 10 years. The latest Beachsaver design was tested at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, under Dr. Michael S. Bruno, director of Stevens' Davidson Laboratory. The Laboratory, one of the world's best known hydrodynamic and ocean engineering research centers, tested Breakwaters' Beachsaver reef device in a wave tank setting and found that it significantly mitigates the rate of beach erosion. The Laboratory has advanced testing and research capabilities in beach erosion, shore protection and coastal pollution.

"Stevens is pleased to analyze technologies like those developed by Breakwaters International to help reduce beach erosion," said Dr. Bruno. "At Stevens, we make it a priority to work with companies that are attempting to solve real-world problems."

August 1993 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 9