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Shooting Island: A Multifaceted Approach to Coastal Wetland Restoration

Presented by Steven Bagnull 1

Shooting Island:

A Multifaceted Approach to

Coastal Wetland Restoration

Steven Bagnull, Ram Mohan, PhD, PE, and Travis Merritts, PE

January 30, 2020



Project Partners

National Fish and

Wildlife Foundation

(Grant Sponsor)

City of Ocean City Anchor QEA

(Design Engineer)

ACT Engineers

(Program Manager)

U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers

Regulatory/Review Agencies

NJDOT

Maritime Resources

New Jersey Dept. of

Environmental

Protection



• Hurricane Sandy Wetland Restoration Competitive

Grant Program (Phase 1 only)

• Project goals

– Enhance damaged wetlands to provide healthier marsh

habitats

– Restore marsh footprint loss due to erosion

– Mitigate future storm impacts

• Shooting Island identified through comprehensive

alternatives analysis

Project Overview



Great Egg Harbor Bay



Shooting Island Degradation

• Poorly draining, low-lying interior pannes

• High-energy wind wave environment resulting in erosion and shoreline loss



Design Approach

Shooting Island Restoration



• Phase 1: Living shoreline sill and concrete habitat

block shoreline enhancement

• Phase 2: Restoration fill placement and planting

behind living shoreline sill

• Phase 3: Thin layer placement in interior panne areas

Project Phase Overview

2019

• Phase 1 Completion

• Phases 2 and 3 – 60% Design

2020

• Phases 2 and 3 – 100% Design

• Phase 2 Construction Planned

2021+

• Phase 3 Construction

• Ongoing Monitoring



Phase 1 Design: Wave Modeling

2-Year NNE Wind Simulation

Living Shoreline Sill

Habitat Blocks



• 2,700 linear feet

• Sill elevation 2 feet

above MHW

• Fish windows set at

MLW

• Constructed along

1978 coastal

wetlands line

• Avoids tidal creek

areas

• Underlying geogrid

layer

• 1.5-foot-thick armor

layer over interior

core

Phase 1: Living Shoreline Sill Features



• 1,500 linear feet

• Concrete and

crushed shell habitat

blocks

• 50% of blocks

loaded with oyster

shell

• Placement within

intertidal range

• Breaks in alignment

for tidal exchange

• Preservation of

existing mudflats

and ecological uplift

Phase 1: Habitat Block Shoreline Features



Phase 1: Living Shoreline

Construction

Shooting Island Restoration



Lessons Learned

• Modeling as an optimization tool

• Cost-effective material selection and placement

• Sea level rise considerations

• Water-based habitat block deployment



Next Steps: Phases 2 and 3



• Closing of “fish windows”

• Beneficial use of dredged material

Phase 2: Restore Marsh Behind the Sill



Phase 3 – Thin Layer Placement



Project Approaches

• Optimize borrow source location and material types

• Utilize existing topography for material containment

and minimize installed controls (fencing and coir logs)

• Provide multiple placement options to maximize

production

• Design for MHW—adaptable for SLR



Questions/Discussion

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