Built very close to sea level, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston implemented innovative strategies to keep critical infrastructure and patient care above future flood levels. The hospital incorporated extensive green roofs as part of its feature to reduce stormwater runoff during heavy precipitation.

This project will restore 295 acres of tidal marsh that had severely degraded from erosion, subsidence, storms, and canal and pipeline construction. Marsh restoration will reduce risks from storms and sea-level rise, and improve the coastal resiliency of communities in the Parish.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a thin-layer placement of dredged material project at Jekyll Creek, Georgia. This project added dredged material to a subsiding, threatened coastal marsh. This project, covering 2 hectares, supports a variety of wildlife and native marsh grasses, and creates a more resilient coastal system.  

King Fisher Beach in Port O’Connor, Texas is a major destination for tourists and local recreation. It is increasingly susceptible to the impacts of storm surge, sea-level rise, and erosion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nourished King Fisher Beach with 58,305 cubic meters of dredged sediment. 

This project will restore 2,200 feet of eroding, degrading shoreline in the Little Lagoon area of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The living shoreline will be comprised of of plantings of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), wave attenuation structures, and native mussel seeding. 

Long Beach Island, NJ is a barrier island that is heavily impacted by coastal storms and hurricanes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection created berms and dunes along the island with sand from an offshore borrow source to reduce flooding, erosion, and storm impacts on the island’s communities. 

The MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) Oyster Reef Shoreline Stabilization Project in Tampa, Florida is a collaboration between the base and Tampa Bay Watch, a local nonprofit. This living shoreline project reduces erosion, provides protection from storms and sea-level rise, improves water quality, and enhances habitat. 

The Maidford River Saltmarsh of Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, Rhode Island was degraded as a result of sea level rise and powerful storm surges, particularly during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This project was designed to improve the marsh’s resiliency against sea level rise, which involved a thin layer deposition and invasive plant species management.

On August 4, 1984, the M/V Wellwood, a 122-meter Cypriot-registered freighter, ran aground on Molasses Reef about 6 nautical miles southeast of Key Largo in Monroe County, Florida. The Molasses Coral Reef Restoration Project, implemented by NOAA, involved the restoration of fourteen separate reef sites damaged during the 1984 incident.

Mordecai Island in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey suffered an erosional cut that separated off a portion of the island. This project filled in said cut and restored coastal habitat on the island with dredged materials from the NJ Intracoastal Waterway. This island protects local communities from storm and sea-level rise impacts. 

Dredged material from Murrells Inlet, SC was placed at Garden City Beach and Huntington Beach State Park. These beach nourishment projects protect beach-front infrastructure from erosion and storm impacts, as well as create increased habitat for numerous bird species. Beneficial use of dredged material helps reduce future maintenance costs. 

Tidal marsh in the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge was degraded from sea-level rise and storm impacts from Hurricane Sandy. This prolonged inundation led to vegetation stress and death, and the expansion of bare areas and mudflats. This project will restore 14 acres of tidal marsh to improve habitat and increase resiliency.

North Carolina Highway 24 is located between multiple waterways and is vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, and coastal erosion. The NC Department of Transportation opted for nature-based solutions over traditional repairs. This project constructed 260 meters of living shoreline, comprised of granite rock and oyster reef structures and a 0.1-hectare salt marsh. 

The North End of Assateague Island National Seashore was experiencing continual and accelerating shoreline migration and erosion. Hurricanes and jetty construction have heightened these issues and led to geomorphologic, habitat, and biotic changes, along with 350 meters of shoreline shift. This project aims to restore natural conditions of the island and slow shoreline migration. 

The northern barrier bar in North Sandy Pond was experiencing flooding and erosion, and was at risk of a full breach. This project placed local sand in strategic locations to utilize Lake Ontario’s longshore currents to replenish eroded sections of the beach. Volunteers also planted native beach grasses to further stabilize the shoreline. 

The city of Kinston, North Carolina experienced devastating flood losses in the 1990s. After a string of three hurricanes flooded or damaged over 75% of homes in Lenoir county, Kinston took action to improve flood resiliency. The city purchased flood-prone properties and relocated neighborhoods to higher ground. This restored natural floodplain functions. 

Pensacola faces increasing threats from sea-level rise, storm surges, and erosion along the Gulf Coast. The city of Pensacola created Project Greenshores to re-establish marsh habitat along its coastline. This project, a pioneer in constructing living shorelines in Florida, restored salt marsh habitat and enhanced shoreline protection.  

Pierce Marsh, 971 hectares of salt marsh, shallow open water, and salt prairie in Hitchcock, Texas, is threatened by subsidence, erosion, and freshwater intrusion. Restoration efforts have been underway since 1999, and in 2016 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers restored 32 hectares of marsh through beneficial use of dredged material.  

Aging infrastructure in Pittsburgh has resulted in sewer overflows and street flooding with more frequent and intense heavy rainfall under climate change. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) identified priority neighborhood and designed an integrated watershed plan utilizing green and gray infrastructure to improve water quality and manage stormwater.

Along Water Street in Yorktown, VA, York County led a shoreline protection project that placed clean sand fill and rock breakwaters to form a series of pocket beaches—beaches stabilized by artificial or natural headlands. The project provides protection to approximately 1,600 feet of Route 1020 (Water Street) along the York River.