Erosion: riprap is popular in the Acadian Peninsula

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More and more coastal residents decide to build riprap to protect their property from wave attacks.

• René Landry (View profile)René Landry

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Companies that make #x27;riprap along the coasts are in demand these days.

With all these violent storms increasing, coastal residents are looking for solutions to stop erosion and protect their property. More and more coastal residents are calling on specialist companies to riprap their coastal property.

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The riprap, at the company Larocque services, in Haut-Lamèque, is the business of Bernard-André Laroque, the excavation manager.

The company Larocque services, from Haut-Lamèque, has been doing riprap for several years. These days, she is working on improving a breakwater near part of the Caraquet wharf.

The manager of the excavation, Bernard-André Laroque, mentions that the phone rang more often after the last storm.

C' It’s the bad weather that scares them, he notes. There are many who reside in the cabins, but there are many that this is their permanent year-round home. Whenever there is a storm coming, they are always afraid of bad weather. There are some who are very close to the shore, in their quiet little place that they see being eaten up by the sea.

Very large rocks from quarries in the Bathurst and Belledune region are used to build the protective wall. A geotextile is also used, as are smaller stones, depending on the situation.

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Many of his clients say they do not regret having installed large rocks to protect their property, he says.

I have clients that they have had rock caps for 20 years. Even today, after the storm the other day, they were very happy to have a rocky cape behind their property.

A quote from Bernard-André Larocque, excavation manager at Larocque services

He admits, however, that what makes many coastal residents hesitate is that are the often high costs of riprap, depending on the size of the land.

Bernard-André Larocque is not a scientist. But his experience in the field makes him say that these large rocks are more effective than vegetation in countering wave attacks.

There are vegetation and it still gets eaten by the sea, he points out. Putting other vegetation is the same. Every time we see the sea working, we see the results afterwards. When we do the work, if you come two or three years later, it stays in the same place, it hasn't gone backwards.

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Marion Tetegan Simon, research director at Valores, was impressed by the strength destructive storm of Wednesday.

Marion Tetegan Simon, research director at the Valores coastal zone research institute in Shippagan, says that riprap is not #x27;is not a foolproof solution.

It really depends on the type of bank, she adds. This is one of the types of solutions that we recommend, depending on the type of coast. Let's say that we would not necessarily put riprap in a dune or beach area, but rather in a cliff area.

When the time comes to restore or protect dunes, like the one that was destroyed this week at Le Goulet, it is better to opt for natural solutions, such as marram grass, indicates Marion Tetegan Simon.

< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">One thing is certain, when riprap is suitable as a solution, it is not given.

It is a solution that will cost extremely expensive, so not everyone has the means to be able to riprap their bank, she adds, specifying that in the future it will be necessary to invest on the part of governments in order to support riprap on the land of several citizens.

With information from La matinale

• René Landry (View profile)René LandryFollow