From Gray to Green: Replacing a Bulkhead with a Living Shoreline at a High-Energy Riverine Site

The North Carolina Coastal Federation created the state’s first living shoreline at a freshwater, high-energy site. This living shoreline replaced a failing bulkhead, and provided the state with important information on freshwater living shorelines, sources of erosion, and stormwater management practices. The project owes some of its success to being small, non-controversial, and well-designed. This project was funded by NOAA’s Restoration Center. Construction involved removing the failing bulkhead, regrading the shoreline, constructing the gapped stone sill, and planting aquatic vegetation, freshwater marsh plants, and an upland buffer with grasses, shrubs, and trees.