LIVING SHORELINE DESIGN USING NUMERICAL AND PHYSICAL MODELS TO CREATE A PUBLIC PARK IN EUCLID, OHIO

Abstract

The shoreline of Euclid, Ohio consists of silty-clay cliffs that are naturally eroding into Lake Erie, supplying sediments to the littoral system. Updrift stabilization and entrapment of sands along the shoreline have led to accelerated deterioration of Euclid's cliffs along a thousand meter stretch of lakefront. Due to the cliffs' unstable nature and privately held ownership, long stretches of shoreline are inaccessible and only a few property-owning residents have visual access to the lake. Through state funding and creative negotiations, the City of Euclid and SmithGroupJJR were given permission to create a recreational waterfront park using both hard and soft engineering techniques designed to dynamically adapt to the forces of Lake Erie and not impede natural littoral transport. A series of numerical and physical modeling studies were undertaken to optimize a natural design that will remain stable throughout extreme events. This design married revetments, headland habitat beaches, offshore breakwaters, vertical structures, submerged structures, tee-groin breakwaters, recreational sand beaches, and natural plant stabilization techniques to achieve a stable, resilient waterfront park that can be enjoyed by the public.