Case Studies

US Army Corp of Engineers - In 1993 the US Army Corp of Engineers documented the success of a recent ProTecTube™ project in its Technical Letter 1110-2-353 (Review of Recent Geotextile Coastal Erosion Control Technology). The review stated:

“The basic conclusion which can be drawn from almost 4 years of monitoring is that the tube has been successful in stabilizing the profile land- ward of the installation…”

“This suggests a strong performance dependence on the actual materials involved and on product quality control…”

“The property owners…selected the ProTecTube II geotextile container instead, principally because of a more rapid, less intrusive installation process…”

Florida Department of Environmental Protection – In October 2004 the FLDEP Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems created a 93 page report documenting the condition of Florida beaches after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Here is what they had to say about an SDRS™ installation at Caledon Shores in Vero Beach, FL:

“Caledon Shores was the lone success story, owing its protection and lack of significant property loss to a unique 400-foot long coastal protection structure know as Subsurface Dune Restoration System (SDRS). This revetment type structure consists of 14 layers of sand filled geotextile tubes placed on a natural dune slope of 1:3 (vertical to horizontal). The system was largely untested until Hurricane Frances’ storm surge and 30 hours of storm wave attack eroded all the dune material, leaving the SDRS completely exposed but structurally undamaged. In contrast to the severe scour caused by the vertical seawalls to the northern county beaches, the SDRS did not have any noticeable scour associated with it, primarily because of its natural gradual dune slope and its smooth transitional curves, and to a lesser degree to its covering of dune sediment.”

Top Picture (1999) - Caledon Shores 10 years after installation during normal weather.

Bottom Picture (2004) - Caledon Shores after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Notice the property and pool protected by SDRS.

Coastal Planning & Engineering, Inc. Report

Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc. Report

The Evolution of ProTecTube article - Geographical Fabrics Report