Coastal management - Hard engineering

Build dams and reservoirs
1. Build a dam to trap and store water - release it in a controlled way
2. Water is usually stored in a reservoir behind the dam. This water can be used to generate HEP or for recreational purposes
3. Sediment is often trapped behind the wall of the dam, leading to erosion downstream
4. Settlements and agriculture land may be lost when the river valley is flooded to form a reservoir
5. If rain is downstream of the reservoir they have no effect
6. It controls the amount of discharge, therefore the amount of flooding
7. Building a dam can be very expensive
8. In large flooding events they are vulnerable to breaking and are expensive to build
Sea wall
1. Protects cliffs and buildings
2. Expensive to build
3. Can look unattractive
4. Deflects the power of the waves
Groynes
1. Exposes other area of the coastline
2. Can be easily damaged
3. They stop sand from being carried away along the coastline
Rock armour
1. A barrier of large rocks soaks up the energy of the waves, reducing erosion
2. They are expensive
Gabions
1. Cages full of rocks which break the power of the waves

Resource summary

	Created by SEOTP almost 11 years ago