May 04, 2006
7,465 Tons of Sand Replenished According to Engineering Study: Are Beach Prisms the Answer to Reducing Shoreline Erosion?
MIDLAND, Va. – “Beach
Prisms can be the answer to the
age-old challenge of shoreline erosion,” says Ashley Smith, vice
president for sales and marketing at Smith-Midland Corporation
of Midland, Va.
After 18 years of product testing at more than 20 sites on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers, Smith-Midland is now offering Beach Prisms for sale and installation.
“Our experience has proven that Beach Prisms either slow the rate of shore erosion, stop erosion or reverse erosion by replenishing sand in front of and behind the Prisms,” said Smith.
What are Beach Prisms?
Beach Prisms are permeable, precast concrete products that work by reducing the amount of energy in incoming waves before the waves reach the shoreline. Waves pass through the specially designed slots in the triangular 3- or 4- foot tall, 10-foot long Beach Prisms.
According to Smith, the success of a Beach Prisms installation is dependent on the prevailing wind in relation to the shoreline, the tides, the fetch and the availability of sand in the surf. Beach Prisms are for river- and bay-front property owners who want an alternative to traditional armor stone, or groins and jetties. Beach Prisms are jointly permitted by state and federal agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers.
An engineering study (see insert) by Lane Engineering Inc., of Centreville, Md., was conducted at the Terrapin Nature Area on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, located about one-half mile north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Queen Anne’s County. The installation survived Hurricane Isabel with only minor Beach Prisms dislocation, according to the study.
Easi-Set Industries plans to license Beach Prisms to precast concrete producers worldwide. Easi-Set Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith-Midland Corp., licenses the production of Smith-Midland developed products to precasters in 23 states and eight foreign countries, with a total of 43 licensed contracts currently in force. For more information please call (540) 439-3266, visit www.SmithMidland.com or www.BeachPrisms.com.
Media Inquiries:
Marti Cameron
media@easiset.com
Licensing Inquiries:
info@easiset.com
