Coastal Engineering, Management & Nature-Based Adaptation

ESA’s coastal engineers prioritize “engineering with nature” principles. Under our programmatic approach, our team has developed innovative solutions to historical challenges that work with natural processes to protect and enhance our coastal communities and ecosystems. 

Coastal communities are dealing with rising sea levels, more intense storms, and rapidly changing shorelines. ESA assists clients in addressing these challenges through an “engineering with nature” approach. This method combines understanding of coastal processes, ecological functions, engineering expertise, and resilient design, to provide enduring social, environmental, and economic benefits.

With over 50 years of experience in bays, estuaries, and open coastlines, our interdisciplinary team comprises coastal engineers, geomorphologists, ecologists, planners, landscape architects, and regulatory specialists. This team develops tailored, multi-benefit solutions that address local shoreline conditions, accommodate public access priorities, and enhance natural processes and habitats. We integrate our expertise in flood risk reduction, ecosystem restoration, and coastal hazards modeling, to create strategies that work in harmony with natural processes, rather than against them.

Our work includes a variety of shoreline adaptation strategies, combining both nature-based and traditional approaches. We design living shorelines that leverage and incorporate elements such as beaches, dunes, wetlands, reefs, and ecotone levees. We also focus on innovative soft shore protection and regional sediment management. When necessary, we implement engineered coastal defenses like levees, revetments, and beach nourishment. In California, we have led prominent managed retreat and shoreline initiatives at Ventura’s Surfers Point and at Pacifica Beach, which use natural processes to minimize risks while enhancing habitat and recreational opportunities.