Located at the end of Selsey Road on the Isle of Wight Bay in West Ocean City, the project goal of this restoration is to design a climate-resilient living shoreline and marsh to protect the residential infrastructure and reduce road flooding.
Funded by the MD Department of Natural Resources Resiliency Through Restoration Program in June 2021.
The design contract was awarded to Scott Hardaway from Coastline Design. Construction cost was approximately $1.5 million. Check out a paper describing Scott’s breakwater system here
Construction started in July 2023 and was completed by September 2023.
Some of the dredge material came from the commercial harbor and some from Ocean City canal sites. This material was taken to an upland site (Friendship Rd) where it was de-watered, then bought to the construction site by truck (in addition to traditional mined sand).
This is an innovative project and monitoring of the outcome is an important aspect. Maryland Coastal Bays has been monitoring fish and invertebrates at the site and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Estuarine Studies, Horn Point Lab have been monitoring marsh vegetation and headland stability (Cindy Palinkas and Bill Nardon).
Thanks to a generous donation from the West Ocean City Homeowner’s Association, an organization which has disbanded, the property received additional grasses that have been planted, an Osprey Platform, and an interpretive sign to be installed in the near future.