Hancock County Marsh Living Shoreline

In 2015, Hancock County marsh was the fastest eroding marsh in Mississippi, with erosion losses from 3 to 10 feet per year which equals an actual loss of 7 acres of intertidal marsh per year. Anchor QEA is providing engineering design, permitting, and construction assistance for the Early Restoration Hancock County Marsh Living Shoreline project, an effort to preserve and protect existing habitat while providing shellfish habitat that would increase benthic and shellfish productivity.

The restoration project consists of three restoration components, 6 miles of living shoreline using a segmented rock breakwater, 46 acres of subtidal reef, and approximately 46 acres of marsh. The Anchor QEA team performed detailed geotechnical, wind-wave, and current analyses to locate and design the segmented breakwater, subtidal reef, and marsh components of the project. Our analyses were used to design natural features as well as the low-relief artificial breakwater to reduce shoreline erosion by dampening wave energy. This living shoreline structure design not only achieved reduced wave energy, but re-established habitat along the coastal area, protecting the shoreline and providing aquatic sanctuary for decades to come. Early monitoring results show reduced erosion, sedimentation behind the breakwater and new marsh growth.