Port of San Diego Testing Out New Tide Pool Armor as Coastal Protection on Harbor Island

SAN DIEGO—The Port of San Diego has begun testing out a new coastal armoring system which replaced traditional riprap with bio-enhancing concrete blocks that mimic natural rock pools. The three-year pilot project launched by the port district and eco-engineering company ECOncrete will demonstrate and study a new design of ECOncrete’s interlocking COASTALOCK Tide Pool Armor in two different locations on Harbor Island, a man-made peninsula only a few hundred feet wide. Installation of the technology was scheduled for Feb. 9, but was dependent on the tide conditions. Installation was anticipated to take a week for each site. The COASTALOCK Tide Pool Armor is made up of individual blocks which connect together like Lego pieces. The units weigh about 6,000 pounds each and there’s a total of 72 blocks between the two Harbor Island locations. The tide pool armor runs 70 feet long and 12 feet wide at each of the locations. The Tide Pool Armor replaced riprap rock mounds previously used to protect Harbor Island from storm flooding and erosion. In addition to protecting the coast, the new Tide Pool Armor is also expected to provide structural, ecological and community engagement benefits, including the promotion of marine organisms and restoration of local ecosystems. “They...