Volusia County researchers propose innovative ‘Living Seawalls’ to enhance storm protection

VOLUSIA COUNTY , Fla. — A team of Volusia County researchers has come up with a plan to better protect structures during major storms.

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The solution: A concept known as living seawalls.

Crumbled concrete can still be seen along our Volusia County coastline after strong winds and waves from three hurricanes in two years took out dozens of seawalls.

After realizing just how many failed, local researchers decided it was time to reexamine how they had been built in the past.

Embry-Riddle Professor Siddharth Parida is now part of a team that plans to bring living seawalls to the county.

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“You have a structural component, you also have an environmental component so they’re very aesthetically pleasing,” said Parida.

The concept may still include concrete but it would be built up by sand and covered with natural vegetation instead of the big stand-alone walls that currently cover much of the coast.

Parida explains these types of structures do a better job of preventing erosion because the vegetation traps sand.

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“We saw from the New Smyrna Beach sand dunes, they are pretty healthy. Even after being impacted by three hurricanes in two years, they are still pretty healthy. That means they can prevent erosion a lot,” said Parida.

His team has already been awarded a grant through the National Science Foundation which is supported by the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security through FEMA.

Now, they’ll begin a series of workshops to get input from the community.

The first workshop is Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach. A second one is planned for the following Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 5:30 at the Ponce Inlet Community Center.

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