SHORELINE PLANT ESTABLISHMENT 

 AND USE OF A WAVE-STILLING DEVICE 



by 



J. W. Webb and J. D. Dodd 



I. INTRODUCTION 



1 . General . 



Erosion has been a dominant process along the shorelines of Galveston 

 Bay, Texas, for some time. Some areas have been recorded as eroding at 

 the rate of 1.2 meters annually (Beach Erosion Board, 1954). Texas has 

 over 2,880 kilometers of bay and gulf shorelines and nearly one-third of 

 the population and industry are located in the coastal zone (Fisher, 

 et al., 1972). Thus, considerable concern exists for a solution to shore- 

 line erosion problems. 



Recent research on the establishment of vegetation has shown that 

 some plant species can be successfully transplanted from existing marshes 

 and low- lying areas to inundated areas (Woodhouse, Seneca, and Broome, 

 1972, 1974; Mason, 1973; Garbisch, Woller, and McCallum, 1975; Dodd and 

 Webb, 1975; Webb and Dodd, 1976). Previous reports by Phillips and 

 Eastham (1959) and Sharp and Vaden (1970) described the sloping and plant- 

 ing of shorelines along tidal rivers in Virginia. These plantings were 

 only partially successful. Sharp and Vaden concluded that smooth and 

 marshhay cordgrasses {Spartina alterniflora and S. patens) were the best 

 adapted plants for stabilizing beach areas. 



Chapman (1967) attempted to vegetate a dredged-material island in 

 Galveston Bay with transplants of smooth cordgrass. Transplants appeared 

 to establish and spread. 



Salt marsh establishment and development on shores and dredged 

 materials in the mid-Chesapeake Bay region were investigated by Garbisch, 

 Woller, and McCallum (1975). They reported no limitations for vegetation 

 establishment above mean high water (MHW) . Establishment of smooth cord- 

 grass in intertidal zones was restricted by wave action and coarse 

 sediment stresses. 



2 . Previous Work at Site . 



Two previous reports by the authors on shoreline stabilization with 

 plants have been published (Dodd and Webb, 1975; Webb and Dodd, 1976). 

 Dodd and Webb (1975) concluded that smooth cordgrass was ideally suited 

 for growth below MHW. Giant reed {Arundo donax) and gulf cordgrass (5. 

 spartinae) were adapted for use in the upper zone, above MHW. Saltgrass 

 (Distlchlis spicata) may be used at intermediate elevations if wave 

 action is low. 



