Living near the water is part of life in South Louisiana. Canals, bayous, lakes and other waterways are part of the landscape, particularly around Slidell and throughout St. Tammany Parish. Unfortunately, water has never been particularly concerned about property lines.
Give it enough time, and water can move soil, reshape a shoreline and create erosion problems that eventually need attention.
At E.C.O. Builders Inc. in Slidell, evaluating a property before building a bulkhead is an important part of the process. A bulkhead may look relatively simple once completed, but deciding how that structure should be built requires understanding what is happening above the ground, below the ground and in the water.
That process starts with the shoreline itself.
Looking at the Existing Shoreline
Before thinking about materials or construction methods, the existing shoreline needs to be evaluated.
Visible erosion usually tells part of the story. Sections of missing soil, exposed tree roots, depressions in the yard and areas where the bank appears to be collapsing can indicate ongoing movement.
An existing bulkhead can provide information as well.
A wall that is leaning toward the water may indicate pressure from the soil behind it. Separating panels, displaced caps or washed-out areas can point toward drainage or structural problems.
The objective is not simply identifying what looks bad. The objective is understanding why it happened.
Replacing a failed structure without considering the conditions that contributed to the failure can leave the same underlying problem in place.
Soil Matters More Than Most People Realize
A waterfront property can look perfectly solid while hiding very different conditions beneath the surface.
South Louisiana has an interesting relationship with soil.
Sometimes the soil stays exactly where expected.
Sometimes it apparently develops other plans.
Clay, sand, silt and organic material can behave differently when saturated or placed under pressure. Soft soils can influence how structural components are installed and how deeply pilings may need to extend.
The soil behind the bulkhead also creates pressure against the structure.
That means the wall isn’t simply dealing with water on one side. It may also be dealing with wet soil, groundwater and changing pressure on the land side.
Understanding those conditions is part of determining how the structure should be designed.
Water Levels Tell a Story
The water visible during an evaluation represents only one moment in time.
Water levels change.
Rainfall can raise them. Tides can influence them. Storms can dramatically change them. Drainage from surrounding properties and streets can also affect conditions.
Evidence around the shoreline can sometimes show where water has previously reached. That information becomes useful when considering bulkhead height and the relationship between the structure and the surrounding land.
Water depth matters too.
Shallow water may allow certain construction approaches, while deeper water can require different equipment or access methods.
The shoreline and water have to be evaluated together because neither operates independently of the other.
Don’t Forget the Water Behind the Wall
When people think about bulkheads, attention naturally goes toward the big body of water in front of the structure.
The water behind the bulkhead can be just as important.
Rain falls on the property. Downspouts discharge water. Groundwater moves through soil. Driveways, patios and other hard surfaces can change drainage patterns.
If that water collects behind a retaining structure, pressure can develop.
That is why drainage needs to be considered before construction rather than becoming an afterthought.
Property grading, drainage routes and existing systems can provide information about where water currently travels and where it may go after the bulkhead is installed.
Water always looks for somewhere to go.
Giving it a sensible route is generally preferable to letting it make that decision independently.
Existing Structures Complicate Things
Waterfront properties rarely consist of an empty yard and a perfectly straight shoreline.
There may be docks.
- Boat lifts.
- Decks.
- Swimming pools.
- Fences.
- Trees.
- Sheds.
- Utilities.
And occasionally something that makes everyone on the job site stare at it for a minute and ask how it got there.
All of those features can affect construction.
A dock may need to remain accessible. A boat lift can influence where equipment is positioned. A pool located close to the shoreline can affect excavation and access.
Nearby homes and neighboring properties also have to be considered.
Every property creates a different puzzle.
Getting Equipment to the Water
One of the most overlooked questions is surprisingly simple:
How does everything get back there?
Bulkhead construction requires equipment and materials to reach the shoreline. On an undeveloped lot, access may be relatively straightforward.
On an established residential property, the route might involve narrow side yards, landscaping, fences, overhead lines and structures.
- Sometimes equipment can operate from land.
- Sometimes access from the water makes more sense.
- Sometimes both are involved.
Material staging matters as well. Pilings, panels and other structural components have to be delivered, stored and moved into position.
Determining how that happens is part of evaluating the project.
Understanding Why Erosion Is Happening
Erosion is not always caused by one thing.
Boat wakes can remove soil over time. Storm runoff can cut channels through a bank. Tidal movement can repeatedly saturate and expose portions of the shoreline.
Drainage discharge can also create concentrated areas of erosion.
Identifying those patterns helps provide a more complete understanding of the site.
A damaged shoreline is the symptom.
Water movement, soil conditions and drainage often explain the cause.
Every Shoreline Is Different
There isn’t one bulkhead design that automatically works for every waterfront property.
Two houses located three doors apart can have different soil conditions, elevations, drainage patterns, water depths and access limitations.
That is why the evaluation matters.
Before construction begins, the shoreline provides a tremendous amount of information about what has happened in the past and what the new structure may face in the future.
Building a bulkhead starts with paying attention to that information.
Because in South Louisiana, ignoring what the water is doing has historically not been a particularly successful strategy.
Elwin Ordoyne
Vice President
E.C.O. Builders Inc.
Slidell, Louisiana
