water area use for fishing and recreational boating. Authorities 

 commonly discourage the proliferation of private piers by encouraging 

 communities to build neighborhood boat landing facilities. The potential 

 effects of boat operation on coastal ecosystems (e.g., pollution, 

 stirring up the bottom) should also be considered in reviewing plans for 

 piers and docks, particularly in relation to boating density, depth of 

 waterway, condition of bottom, and currents and flushing rate of basin. 

 Many waterways are reaching their capacity to handle boat traffic. 

 Individual permits should be reviewed in relation to expected cumulative 

 effects. 



4.3 BULKHEADS - SUBPROJECT 3 



Bulkheads built in the coastal zone have a high potential for adverse 

 effects on fish and wildlife and their habitats. If not properly located 

 and designed they eliminate valuable wetlands and vital areas, adversely 

 alter the shoreline through scouring and change in water flow, interfere 

 with runoff, and cause general ecological degradation of the land-water 

 interface. Bulkheads are used extensively along industrial waterfronts, 

 such as those developed with OCS-related onshore facilities. 



4.3.1 Summary 



A bulkhead is a vertical wall of wood, steel, or concrete, built 

 parallel to the shoreline and designed to reflect waves and control 

 erosion. Bulkheads referred to here are the structures usually placed in 

 protected waters in the intertidal zone; their counterparts on the open 

 seacoast are usually termed seawalls. In relation to OCS primary 

 development, bulkheads are usually built to provide boat docking 

 capabilities for loading and unloading of heavy materials or to hold fill 

 deposited to convert wetlands and low-lying shoreland to industrial sites. 

 In relation to OCS secondary development these structures are built to 

 extend land, to protect the shoreline from erosion, provide boat docking 

 convenience, or serve aesthetic purposes. 



Major environmental objections to bulkheading arise from the loss of 

 coastal marsh and other vital habitat areas, the reduction in size of 

 water bodies, the accompanying water pollution, and the interruption of 

 the movement of fresh water into the estuary. The adverse impact is 

 greatest when the outer periphery of a coastal marsh is bulkheaded and 

 then covered with dredge spoil from the bay bottom or upland fill 

 material in order to extend property lines. 



The proliferation of bulkheads along the shores of an estuary results 

 in massive ecologic degradation and a serious reduction in carrying 

 capacity. Any one of the numerous small bulkheads may have a lesser 

 effect when looking at an entire coastline but the accumulation of 

 bulkheads may eliminate a high proportion of the total wetlands and 

 natural shoreline segments. 



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