TIDAL INLET PROBLEMS ALONG THE NEW ENGLAND COAST

Abstract

The New England Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers has created and improved many harbors along the New England coast for the benefit of commercial fishing and recreational boating fleets A harbor, to be effective, must provide a protected area for boats and it must have a safe access, that is, a protected and stabilized tidal inlet A coastal inlet has been defined as a waterway connecting a bay, lagoon or similar body of water with a larger body of water The major engineering problems encountered in the development of harbors have involved stabilization of these inlets The problems have been caused by excessive littoral drift resulting from erosion of the shorefront adjacent to the inlets by wave attack Planning, designing, constructing, and modifying these inlets under very dynamic conditions is complex and difficult Each inlet is unique This paper discusses very briefly some of the problems encountered.