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Waterfront structures are a critical component of a port facility: breakwaters that provide protection from waves and surging water; sheet pile walls and pile systems that support wharves, jetties and quays; and the piles, piers, fenders, and dolphins that provide a secure berth for ships to call. Since our inception, we have developed an unparalleled breadth and depth of project experience in the planning and design of marine structures, including expertise in seismic issues related to port infrastructure. Our projects include a broad range of waterfront structures including dry docks, piers, wharves, bulk-heads, deep and large foundations, fixed and floating dock systems, mooring and fendering systems, breakwaters, seawalls, and jetties for ports, harbors, marinas, and military installations.
Moffatt & Nichol provides beach nourishment services along shorelines that include individual private beaches, resort projects, and major urban centers, many including structures to increase their longevity. We offer beach nourishment, including planning and community outreach, shoreline modeling and analysis, littoral budget development, storm damage and benefit analysis, evaluation of sand source and dredging alternatives, permitting, engineering design, preparation of construction documents, and construction observation.
Coastal structures are important assets for the economic health of many coastal communities. They protect harbors and inlets, provide beach and shoreline stability, stabilize navigation channels, and provide flood protection. Moffatt & Nichol provides full-range coastal engineering services to plan, design, and build structures in the coastal environment. Our specialties include numerical and physical modeling; hindcasting and statistical analyses to determine design storm surge, wave height and current magnitudes; coastal morphological analyses; and the determination of hydrodynamic loads on structures.
In the past, dredged material was viewed as “spoil” to discard. Today it is considered a resource for wetland creation and beach nourishment projects. Moffatt & Nichol has led beneficial use projects and dredged material management plans around the world. Our services include sediment compatibility analyses, contaminated sediment remediation, leaching studies and analyses, sedimentation modeling, storm damage and cost-benefit analyses, sand source and dredging alternatives, community outreach permitting, engineering design, preparation of construction documents, and construction observation.
Coastal and water resource management projects can impact water quality. Moffatt & Nichol’s expertise in water quality modeling benefits clients by not only forecasting project impacts, but also helping us to develop innovative mitigation solutions and management strategies. We are capable of examining a range of problems from simple river flow to complex stratified flows. Our suite of water quality services includes assessments for eutrophication, pathogens, pollutants, contaminant fate and transport, total maximum daily load (TMDL) solutions, stormwater, best management practices (BMPs) and low impact development (LID), deep and shallow draft navigation and channel deepening, and water quality data assessment and sampling plans.
Our planning and design experience in the marine environment, coupled with our extensive coastal engineering expertise and environmental capabilities, enables us to create innovative, award-winning, and resilient infrastructure that enhances, protects, and communities along our waterways and coastlines. Our services support client projects from financial and conceptual analysis through feasibility and environmental studies, to planning, regulatory compliance, design, and construction.
Our strategies for these complex projects include the introduction of ocean tides through new or redesigned inlets; the introduction of river water, mineral sediments and nutrients through diversions; the management and regulation of flows to reduce saltwater intrusion; marsh restoration and vegetation plantings; and shore protection.
Management of stormwater quality, as well as quantity, is critically important in today’s regulatory environment. The issues are especially complex in coastal regions where low topography and high groundwater tables limit implementing conventional Best Management Practices (BMPs). Moffatt & Nichol has successfully completed stormwater management studies and projects within these challenging coastal environments and inland areas.
