Breakwater’s Base Being Built

A crane lifts and lowers the marine mattress.

In mid-October 2018, crews from Coastal Design and Construction continue to build a breakwater in Dyke Marsh to help stop erosion and encourage sedimentation, the first stage of marsh restoration.  As of October 17, 2:30 p.m., the team had installed three layers of “marine mattresses” or 1,624 units.  The total final number will depend on the depth of the river bottom.  A new barge load will arrive soon.  

In the last photograph, Rob Propster, a surveyor, helps position one and confirms the crew’s work.  The crew uses a GPS system on the crane to place each one.  In its study of the status of Dyke Marsh, or what the U.S. Geological Survey called its “deconstruction,” USGS concluded that without action, Dyke Marsh will disappear by 2035.

Photos contributed by Glenda Booth.

The crane lifts the mattress.	The crane lowers the mattress.	The crane lifts the mattress off the barge.
The crane lowers the marine mattress.	Rob Propster, a surveyor, confirms the mattresses' positions in the river.