ASBPA annual awards presented for best restored beaches

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association has released the annual awards of the nation’s Best Restored Beaches.

The award winning projects this year are the Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization in Zion, Illinois, and the North Cove Coastal Systems Restoration in North Cove, Washington.

Moffatt & Nichol led the design team and served as engineer of record for the Illinois Beach project, which combined beach nourishment and coastal habitat restoration to safeguard state park infrastructure and address shoreline erosion.

The project resulted in over 50 acres of new sand beach habitat, 18 acres of rock habitat, and an acre of aquatic elements. It received Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines Verification, the gold standard for resilient, ecological, and accessible waterfront design.

The North Cove Coastal Systems Restoration in North Cove, Washington was selected as a Best Restored beach demonstrating a long-term commitment by the North Cove community to protect their beach. The project, using natural materials and a nature-based approach, has stabilized and restored 1.1 miles of shoreline along the north entrance to Willapa Bay in Pacific County, Washington.

Approximately 46,500 cubic yards of material has been placed along the 1.1-mile project. Along a 3,000’ reach on the western portion of the project, the dune area experienced a seven-times increase in width and five-times increase in area, and the accumulation of over 232,000 cubic yards of sand.