1. Palm Beach Shoreline Project: Post-Project Outcomes Measured Through Key Performance Indicators.
- Author
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Elliott-Perkins, Zoe, Wharton, Courtney, Prenzler, Paul, Watterson, Evan, and De Lucia, Liam
- Subjects
SHORELINES ,COASTAL engineering ,COASTAL development ,METEOROLOGY - Abstract
The Palm Beach Shoreline Project is a two-phase coastal engineering project incorporating nearshore nourishment and the construction of a submerged rock boulder artificial reef. The primary purpose of the project is to provide a coastal protection outcome for Palm Beach, which is a particularly vulnerable section of the Gold Coast coastline to the threat of coastal erosion; the secondary objective is to provide a surf amenity outcome. The aim of this paper is to discuss the post-project outcomes which have been measured through a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework, which consists of key results areas, performance criteria, indicators and set targets. Areas of interest include coastal protection assessed through beach volume measurements and comparisons with historical shoreline variations; recreational amenity measured through beach width and surfing outcomes; user safety measured through swimmer and surfing safety; whole-of-life costs measured through maintenance costs; and ecology measured through ecological growth in comparison with an adjacent natural reef site. KPI targets are being quantified through the investigation of coastal data sets, including wave buoys, hydrographic survey, LiDAR, aerial/oblique imagery, ecological monitoring reports, lifeguard data capture, structural monitoring investigations and new novel surf amenity data captured through remote camera analysis. The assessment of the project outcomes will be ongoing; results to date indicate positive outcomes, including a sustained increase in beach volume provided by the initial nearshore nourishment placement, an increase in rideable surfing waves in the area of the artificial reef, an increase in the abundance of marine life and minimal maintenance costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023