Environmental Impact Assessment of Shoreline Bulkheading: A Historical Approach

One limitation to the environmental impact assessment of incremental developments, such as private bulkhead-fill projects, is the lack of historical data on the rate and extent of development. Analysis of a historical series of aerial photographs provided a baseline for demonstrating the need for and effectiveness of regulation of shoreline bulkheading. Projections of preregulation bulkheading rates into the regulatory period make wetlands regulation seem highly effective in reducing the overall rate of bulkheading in a Virginia county. However, this bulkheading appears to be spatially contagious and it is suggested that the causes of this contagion need to be carefully examined by decision-makers unless lowering the rate of activity is the only objective.