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Rigid BulkheadsWaterfront locations which want relatively deep water adjacent to a strengthened level surface or work area can not have a beach area that gradually slopes into deeper water. Industrial facilities that must load out to barges or large ships fall into this category. The ideal facility has a reinforced concrete bulkhead sufficiently deep to avoid soil washout in the lower areas and substantial enough to permit moving heavy loads from land onto the barge or other marine vessel. Less demanding industrial facilities, waterfront restaurants and some home owners may opt for a lower cost but less capable system. These may include driven sheet pile, heavy wood planks or composites such as re-cycled plastics or fiberglass. In these instances, they are placed vertically at close spacing into the soil. Steel sheet pile and some of the composite products are interlocking between the adjacent vertical members. If installed properly, these systems will provide a rigid demarcation between a level load bearing surface and the deeper adjacent water. What they do not do is mitigate or reduce the actual waves. They merely bounce the waves back toward their origin. As discussed elsewhere, they can just add to the magnitude of the initial waves. Our system of floating elements is not subject to this problem, and tends to absorb the force of the waves rather than bouncing it back where it can cause other problems to users of the area.
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