Bringing a Cemetery to Life: Constructing of a Living Shoreline for Riverside Memorial Cemetery
Riverside Memorial Park cemetery, owned and maintained by the Cit of Norfolk (VA), is located along the Elizabeth River and was built in the early 1900s. Over the years large marine vessels passing through combined with storms have caused severe erosion and undercut along the riverbank and have threatened many gravesites to fall over the steep side slopes. Working with the City, a concept for a living shoreline was developed along with additional improvements to reestablish marsh presence and prevent future wave action from degrading the banks. Added sand and a rock sill were designed to protect approximately 1,300 linear feet of banks and enhance opportunities for marsh vegetation to thrive. A major goal of this project was to not only protect the cemetery but make design decisions that upon construction would be sustainable for the foreseeable future. This presentation will walk through the complexities of designing and constructing a living shoreline while keeping the integrity of the tombstones and gravesites fully intact. The perspective of construction access and sequencing will be discussed from both the engineer bid documents and the awarded contractor.
Author Bio
Alan Davis is a licensed professional engineer and serves as a project manager with 24 years of experience (17 at Hazen in their VA Beach office) focused on stormwater and resiliency. Chris Epes is a project manager with the City of Norfolk Environmental Stormwater Management and is overseeing the construction of the Riverside Living Shoreline project.
