NuShore Porous Groin Beach Restoration Pilot

Fall 2021 to Spring 2022

Partners: NuShore LLC, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources Team

DFWB Natural Resources piloted the NuShore porous groin system as a non-traditional, lower-cost alternative to offshore sand dredging for beach renourishment. The system consists of semi-rigid, permeable webbing panels arranged perpendicular to the shoreline, designed to slow sediment-laden water flow enough that suspended sand accretes near the structure rather than being carried offshore or downdrift, while remaining porous enough to avoid the severe downdrift erosion associated with traditional solid groins.

Installations were placed at James Lee Park in Destin and at Okaloosa Island (between Beach Access 3 and 4, adjacent to Santa Rosa Boulevard), each system spanning roughly 1,500 feet of beach and extending about 150 feet into the Gulf. The pilot was undertaken in the wake of significant erosion following Hurricane Sally in 2020, with systems removed ahead of spring break and sea turtle nesting season. The county assessed results and while sand did accrete within the project area, the accretion was not significant enough to justify further evaluation.