Stabilizing Marshall Islands Coast With New Retaining Structure

We designed a unique coastal structure on the Kwajalein Atoll, located in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The primary purpose of the project was to remove debris and heavy metals from the shoreline. During World War II, the atoll, a ring-shaped island formed of coral, was a U.S. Navy base and, during that time, a portion of the island located on the reef was used as a debris dump site. Bringing the island up to current environmental standards — removing debris and heavy metals — required stabilization to prevent erosion and potential damage to upland facilities.

The final design included an armor stone revetment with an overall length of approximately 2,000 linear feet. The structure included four different cross sections that were designed for varying wave loading and intended to increase the efficiency of the armor rock yield. Materials for the project were shipped by barge from Washington state, U.S. During removal of the debris, several unexploded ordinances were discovered, resulting in most of the structure preparation with a remote-controlled excavator.