Comparing the Most Common Erosion Control Barriers

Coastal erosion can have severe destructive effects on property. Many shoreline property owners implement erosion control methods in order to protect their homes and property from the effects of erosion. Erosion control is also necessary in other erosion-prone locations such as construction sites, on slopes, and in flood zones.

What are the most common types of erosion control barriers?

There are many different types of erosion control barriers. Each has pros and cons depending on the specific situation. Some barriers are more effective than others. These methods can be compared in terms of cost, effectiveness, environmental consequences, and durability.

Fencing

Silt fencing is one method of erosion control not only along a shoreline, but also on construction sites and other erosion-prone areas. A silt fence is only a temporary measure. They are made of porous fabric held up by posts which are driven into the ground. They are inexpensive and easy to install and remove.

“A single 100 foot (ft) run of silt fence may hold 50 tons of sediment in place” https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/siltfences.pdf .

In order for a silt fence to be effective, three factors must be considered:

1. Proper placement
2. Quantity of fencing
3. Appropriate materials

Improper placement of the silt fence will render it ineffective. “Placement is important because where a fence starts, runs, and ends is critical to its effectiveness. Improper placement can make the fence a complete waste of money.” https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/siltfences.pdf

Silt fences can be useful along a shoreline to support vegetation projects. A silt fence can be used to protect the seeds from displacement by wind or wave erosion, or from animals. Once the vegetation is established, the fencing can be removed.

“The most natural and effective way to prevent erosion control is by planting vegetation.  Roots from plants, especially trees, grip soil and will effectively prevent the excess movement of soil throughout the ground.  A good way to imagine this process is by picturing two flower pots, one filled with nothing but soil, and one filled with a plant that has been growing in it for some time.  If you flip the pots over, the one with only soil will create a huge mess, and soil will be displaced.  The one with the plant may lose some soil, but a majority of it will be contained in the root mass.” https://www.soildistrict.org/soil-erosion-control/erosion-control/

Vegetation Barriers

Vegetation is Earth’s natural method of erosion control, and it has been doing the job long before any man-made barrier existed. Removing native plants from a shoreline property almost always makes erosion worse. When roots are pulled out, soil has nothing holding it together, and wind, rain, and wave action start carrying that soil away at a much faster rate. If vegetation has already been stripped from your property, replanting becomes one of the most important steps you can take to slow or reverse the damage.
What Is a Vegetative Barrier?
Vegetative barriers are narrow, densely planted strips of stiff-stemmed plants designed to slow water, trap sediment, and hold soil in place. According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), these barriers are typically one to three feet wide and are planted across the slope, perpendicular to the direction of water flow. The plants used are almost always perennial grasses with rigid stems that stay upright year-round, even under the pressure of moving water.
The University of Missouri Extension notes that vegetative barriers differ from standard grass buffer strips because they are narrow (less than 5 feet wide) and rely on perennial stiff-stemmed vegetation that slows runoff and causes sediment to drop out on the upslope side of the barrier missouri. Over time, these barriers can even reshape the landscape, forming natural terrace-like benches that further reduce erosion.
How Vegetative Barriers Work
A properly established vegetative barrier does several things at once:

Slows wind and water erosion by holding soil together with dense root networks
Reduces wave erosion by absorbing and dissipating wave energy before it reaches the bank
Traps sediment by slowing runoff so heavier particles settle out rather than washing away
Promotes water infiltration so less water runs across the surface in the first place
Reinforces slopes through deep root systems that bind soil at multiple depths

Research from the NRCS indicates that stiff, erect grasses like switchgrass and vetiver can slow runoff enough to capture sediment even in concentrated flow areas. The effect compounds over time. As sediment builds up on the upslope side of the barrier, the slope itself becomes flatter and less vulnerable to future erosion.
Why Native Plants Matter
Only vegetation native to the property should be used. This is not just a preference, it is often a legal requirement. Florida regulations, for example, require that plants installed in the water edge zone along shorelines be native species. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) recommends natural vegetation as the preferred method of shoreline stabilization whenever site conditions allow.
Native plants are adapted to local soil, salinity, rainfall, and temperature patterns, which means they establish faster and survive longer than imported species. They also support local wildlife, including pollinators, birds, and fish that rely on shoreline habitat. Non-native or invasive species, by contrast, can outcompete beneficial vegetation and may even worsen erosion over time by displacing the deep-rooted natives that actually hold the soil.
For Southwest Florida property owners, common native options for shoreline and wetland planting include:

Cordgrass (Spartina spp.), a salt-tolerant grass that anchors sediment in tidal areas and absorbs wave energy
Mangroves (red, black, and white), which filter storm surge, trap sediment, and build shoreline over time
Spikerush (Eleocharis spp.) and pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), emergent plants that buffer wave action along freshwater edges
Duck potato (Sagittaria lancifolia), a strongly rooted emergent plant well-suited to pond and lake shorelines
Bald cypress (Taxodium spp.) and red maple (Acer rubrum), larger trees that do well in consistently wet conditions

Bioengineering: Nature as Infrastructure
Using vegetation for erosion control is sometimes called bioengineering or soil bioengineering. The term captures what is really happening at the shoreline. Living plants are acting as engineered infrastructure, performing the same job a seawall or bulkhead would, but with the added benefit of improving habitat, water quality, and resilience to storms.
The NRCS National Engineering Handbook describes soil bioengineering as a proven approach for stabilizing and restoring streambanks and shorelines. One of the key advantages is self-healing. A wall cracks and stays cracked until someone fixes it. A vegetated bank responds to minor damage by regrowing, spreading, and deepening its root mass over time.
Florida Sea Grant and other coastal management programs have documented that living shorelines, which combine native plants with elements like oyster reefs and coir logs, can:

Reduce wave energy and shoreline erosion
Buffer the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes
Build up shoreline by trapping sediment
Adapt to sea level rise in a way that hard structures cannot
Improve water quality by filtering pollutants and absorbing excess nutrients

In contrast, hardened structures like vertical seawalls can actually accelerate erosion on neighboring properties and at the base of the wall itself. If enough sand is scoured out from the bottom, the wall can be undermined and fail.
Installation Considerations
Getting a vegetative barrier established takes planning. A few factors worth thinking through:

Site conditions: Slope, soil type, salinity, and tidal influence all affect which plants will survive. A site assessment should come before any planting plan.
Spacing and density: NRCS guidance recommends establishing plants so gaps between them are no greater than three inches by the end of the first growing season. Tight spacing is what gives the barrier its ability to slow water and hold soil.
Protection during establishment: Young plants are vulnerable. Livestock, foot traffic, and wildlife browsing should be kept off new plantings until roots take hold. In high-energy wave environments, a temporary breakwater may be needed while vegetation gets established.
Permitting: In Florida, shoreline plantings on private property typically require coordination with both FDEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some enhancement plantings qualify for exemptions if they stay within 500 linear feet, use commercially grown native stock, and extend no more than 10 feet waterward of the mean high water line.
Maintenance: Plantings need monitoring, especially during the first few growing seasons. Gaps should be filled quickly, invasive species removed, and washouts replanted before they grow into bigger problems.

When Vegetation Alone Is Not Enough
Vegetation works best in low to moderate energy environments. On high-energy shorelines facing direct wave action, storm surge, or strong current, plants may need help from structural elements to get established. This is where hybrid living shoreline designs come in, combining native vegetation with coir logs, oyster reef breakwaters, or other natural materials that take the brunt of wave energy while the plants develop.
Pairing vegetation with other flood and erosion protection gives your property the best chance of staying intact through severe weather events. For Southwest Florida property owners dealing with hurricane season, king tides, and year-round tidal erosion, a layered approach almost always outperforms any single method on its own.

Seawalls and Retaining Walls

Seawalls and retaining walls are a very common erosion control method. “A seawall is a type of shoreline hardening that is designed to protect property from shoreline erosion. Seawalls are typically made of hard materials including concrete, rock, and wood.” https://trapbag.com/seawalls/

Seawalls are effective in emergency situations like storm surges. There are three types of seawalls: vertical, curved, and mound seawalls. Mound seawalls are made using sandbags or dirt. “TrapBags® can be used to create a mound seawall. By filling our TrapBag® Fabric Forming System with concrete you create a permanent seawall to protect your property. Once the concrete settles you can remove the TrapBag® Fabric Forming System. The benefit of using a TrapBag® Fabric Forming is it is simpler, less expensive and less time consuming compared to installing large boulders/rip-rap or sheet piling.”

Seawalls can be effective in preventing wave erosion short-term. Long-term, however, traditional steel seawalls cause worsening erosion. This is due to wave flanking, or the deflection of wave energy towards neighboring properties. Scouring also occurs frequently. Scouring is when the wave energy is directed downwards and “scoops” out the bottom of the lake. This disrupts the natural ecosystems. Scouring also causes the seawall to eventually fail because the water is able to flow beneath the structure.

Mound seawalls are less likely to cause these issues because they are better at absorbing rather than deflecting wave energy.

“Although they hold soils in place behind the structure, seawalls usually accelerate erosion on adjacent beaches. The structures impede natural landward migration of beaches in response to sea level rise, halting upland growth of new beach. In some instances, the beach migrates entirely to the base of the seawall and disappears completely (passive erosion). Wave energy is reflected off seawalls, increasing erosion at the toe of the wall (active erosion) and subsequently from adjacent beaches as well. In many areas, beaches have completely eroded and disappeared on account of seawalls. Revetments, like seawalls, protect resources landward of the structure but likely at the expense of the seaward slope. Materials such as armorstones, stepped concrete, or rip-rap stones are placed directly in the existing slope face to absorb wave energy and strong currents. Bulkheads provide a similar purpose but are vertical standing structures running parallel to the shoreline, often constructed of rock-filled timber cribs and gabion, steel, or concrete.” https://www.nps.gov/articles/seawalls-bulkheads-and-revetments.htm

Geotextile Bags

Geotextile bags are made out of permeable geotextile fabric. This fabric is more durable than that of standard sandbags. They are a newer method of erosion control. TrapBag® is a geotextile bag system. Our bags are made of high-strength textile and use 40% less fill material than stacked sandbags. Our system can be used to create erosion control barriers that last up to and beyond 5 years.

They can be used for:

• Shoreline erosion control
• Land reclamation
• Island creation
• Dams, dikes, and levees
• Breakwaters
• Revetments
• And more…

Geotextile bags like TrapBag® are rapid-deploy and easy to install. They are also better for the environment than steel seawalls.

Erosion Control Blankets

Erosion control blankets are made of different materials that are woven together. They are often placed on slopes in order to slow runoff and reduce erosion. There are several types of erosion control blankets made of different materials, both natural and synthetic.  Some of the common materials include polypropylene, jute, coconut fiber, and straw.

These blankets are relatively easy to install, but in order to be effective, must be installed properly. Proper installation includes “keying” the blanket into the slope. This is done by creating a small trench along the top of the slope. Next, line the trench with the top of the blanket using staples. The trench should now be filled back in.

Rock Revetments

Rock revetments, like seawalls are types of shoreline hardening. They are composed of either natural rocks or concrete blocks. They work to protect the land behind them from wave erosion.

“Because these effects are now well understood, new construction of these hard structures is only allowed in very limited circumstances. This fact sheet addresses the more common practice of repair and reconstruction of existing seawalls and revetments. Given the technical and permitting issues involved with seawall and revetment repair and reconstruction projects, a coastal engineer should be consulted for site-specific advice.” https://www.mass.gov/doc/stormsmart-properties-fact-sheet-7-repair-and-reconstruction-of-seawalls-and-revetments/download

What are the pros and cons each?

Pros and cons of erosion fencing:

The advantages and disadvantages of erosion fencing include:

Advantages:

• Inexpensive
• Quick to install
• Easy to install

Disadvantages:

• Less effective depending on soil type
• Require frequent maintenance
• Less effective in larger areas
• Less effective on slopes
• Ineffective in areas with concentrated flow because of low permeability
• Temporary solution

Pros and cons of vegetation barriers:

The advantages and disadvantages of vegetation barriers include:

Advantages:

• Most environmentally-friendly method of erosion control
• Inexpensive
• Easy to implement
• Long-term solution

Disadvantages:

• Not effective in the short-term or emergency situations
• Vegetation requires time to establish

Pros and cons of seawalls and retaining walls:

The advantages and disadvantages of seawalls include:

Advantages:

• Effective in emergency situations

Disadvantages:

• Highly detrimental to the environment
• Expensive
• Requires professional installation
• Ineffective long-term
• Requires maintenance
• Causes worsening erosion

Pros and cons of geotextile bags:

The advantages and disadvantages of geotextile bags include:

Advantages:

• Rapid-deploy
• Easy to transport, store, and install
• Durable
• Up to and beyond 5 year effectiveness
• Requires less fill material than traditional sandbags
• Cost-effective
• Versatile

Disadvantages:

• Not a permanent solution

Pros and cons of erosion control blankets:

The advantages and disadvantages of erosion control blankets include:

Advantages:

• Helps establish vegetation
• Inexpensive
• Easy to install
• Environmentally-friendly

Disadvantages:

• Less durable

Pros and cons of rock revetments:

The advantages and disadvantages of rock revetments include:

Advantages:

• Better at absorbing wave energy than steel seawalls
• Easy to maintain
• Better for the environment than steel seawalls
• Durable

Disadvantages:

• Expensive
• Cause some environmental problems

Which erosion barriers are best for slopes?

Erosion control blankets are designed to reduce erosion on slopes. Erosion on slopes occurs due to runoff. Fast-moving runoff carries soil with it, leading to erosion. Both vegetation and erosion control blankets can help reduce the velocity of runoff and therefore, reduce erosion.

Which types of erosion barriers are best for dunes and beaches?

Dunes are challenging to stabilize because they face both wind and wave erosion. Dunes are naturally dynamic and change throughout the years, but human practices can hasten this change and cause problems.

“Erosion control solutions like TrapBag® are efficient, affordable and highly effective at sand dune stabilization.” TrapBag® barrier systems are effective solutions for strengthening dune cores and preventing erosion.

“Dunes protect other areas from erosion and flooding but during storm surge events the foot of dunes get eroded. By installing TrapBags® in the core of a dune you ensure that a system is in place for protection even if the rest of the dune is compromised during a storm event.

All over the world sand dunes are under heavy attack from higher sea levels and more severe weather conditions as a result of the continuous process of global warming. By installing a TrapBag® barrier system inside the dune core, the erosion of the dune can be slowed down drastically or even brought to a halt.”

Which types of erosion barriers are easiest to install or deploy?

Trapbag® barriers are rapid-deploy and relatively easy to install. “TrapBag® is a series of pentagon-shaped bags that are sloped on one side, vertical on the opposite side and open at the top for filling. Each of the cells are connected side by side like an accordion, each cell has a common wall with the next cell, and are collapsed during storage and deployment. The cells are made of high-strength textile. Each of the cells are self-contained yet rely on the next cell for added strength. If one of the cells is compromised, it will not affect the rest of the barrier, which will remain standing strong.

TrapBag® uses 40% less fill material than a stacked sandbag wall, but more importantly a single 100 foot section of 4ft high TrapBag® replaces approximately 8,000 sandbags making TrapBag® Barriers an excellent alternative to small and large sandbags.“ https://trapbag.com/product-details/

Which types of erosion barriers are permanent solutions?

Temporary Erosion Barriers:

• Revetments
• Seawalls
• Silt Fences
• Erosion Control Blankets
• Sand bags
• Geotextile bags

Permanent Erosion Barriers:

• Reforestation
• Vegetation Barriers
• Bioengineering

What types of erosion control barriers meet best management practices or industry standards?

Erosion control best management practices must be adhered to when installing erosion control barriers. They define the most effective measures that can be taken to control erosion. Erosion BMPs depend on the location (state) and situation. There are different BMPs for different situations like construction sites, dunes, shorelines, slopes, etc.

Sources:

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/101683

https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/siltfences.pdf

https://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/erosioncontrolchapter%5B1%5D.pdf

http://www.coastalwiki.org/wiki/Seawalls_and_revetments[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]