Design and Model by Lally EC.

Capabilities

Environmental

Nature-based Engineering

Working with Nature for Coastal Resiliency and Habitat Enhancement

Also known as Bioengineering, Living Shorelines, Building with Nature, or Engineering with Nature^®, depending on where one is in the world, Lally has been actively delivering Nature-based Engineering solutions in freshwater and marine environments since the early 1990s.

The Nature-based Engineering philosophy considers a site’s natural processes and ecology and seeks to integrate with and enhance that ecosystem. The benefits are wide ranging, tangible and can include habitat creation and enhancement, erosion control and storm resiliency, climate adaptation and sustainability, project cost savings, safeguarding of and improved economic conditions, aesthetics, and quality-of-life, i.e. man’s connection with nature.

Amongst numerous delivered Nature-based engineering solutions, Lally LLC personnel has conceived, permitted, constructed and monitored long-term new forms of shoreline erosion control structures built of woody and other organic materials; contributed to guidance documents on Nature-based shoreline engineering; managed an 11,000 hp hydraulic dredge working offshore borrow sites to sculpt improved benthic habitat; and designed, constructed and maintain gravel feeder beaches for the periodic nourishment of salmon spawning habitat.

We strive to be leading advocates in the evolution of Nature-based engineering, and to this end offer some of the most creative and cost-effective solutions.

Our team of coastal, hydraulic and environmental engineers, dredging experts, fisheries biologists and aquatic scientists provide integrated services in the design, restoration and protection of marine and aquatic habitats.

From our offices in North America, Europe and the Caribbean, Lally LLC offers services including;

Field Investigations
Habitat Assessment
Biological Evaluations
Fish and Habitat Studies
Vegetation Studies
Geomorphological Assessment
Conceptual Design
Alternatives Evaluation
Design Visualizations and 3D Simulations
Topographic, Surf zone & Bathymetric Surveys
Geotechnical and Subsurface Analysis
Sampling and Laboratory Testing
MetOcean Data Collection and Analysis
Coastal Processes Modeling
Detailed Engineering Design
Sediment Compatibility Analysis
Scour Analyses
Slope Stability Analysis
Wave Modeling
Littoral Cell Transitions
Shoreline Change Analysis
Sediment Budgets
Borrow Source Identification
Nature-based Materials Sourcing
Integrated Remediation and Ecosystem Restoration
Climate Change Adaptation
Infrastructure Relocation
Demolition Plans
Contract Plans & Specifications
Project Management
Stakeholder Engagement
Environmental Permitting
Procurement Support
Construction Oversight
Environmental Monitoring

Lakes, specifically those in urban environments with existing hard armoring offer many opportunities to improve habitat conditions of a site. With client goals established, Lally LLC coastal engineers research and quantify the site physical conditions, including lake levels, return-interval wind waves, vessel wakes, vessel loading, propeller wash / erosion forces, berthing requirements, and icing conditions to be accounted for in the Nature-based design. For many sites, we have already developed much of this Basis for Design information. Once concept engineering solutions are developed we, working with environmental regulators and stakeholders, impart knowledge of habitat opportunities, and collaborate to creatively incorporate these components in the final design.

Lally LLC has conceived, engineered, permitted and constructed several types of Working with Nature erosion control, beach amenities, living shoreline, nearshore habitat, and vessel access facilities in lacustrine environments, including;

Living Shorelines
Pocket Beaches
Rockery Bulkhead Modifications
Riparian Wave Buffer^TM
Fish Spawning Benches
Log Jetties^TM
Engineered Log Jam
Gravel Feeder Beaches
Nearshore Reefs
Artificial Reefs
Biomimicry
Docks, Piers, and Quay Walls
Green Marina and Port Facilities
Sand Filled-Geotextile Tubes
Porta-Dams
Wave Attenuators
Scour Protection
Armor Stone Recycling
Integrated Contaminated Sediment Remediation

We work on behalf of clients to balance recreational and access goals with sustainable designs that are compelling to regional permitting authorities, while also aesthetically engaging and provide improved environmental and habitat conditions.

Rivers and floodplains support a wide range of species and provide exceptional ecosystem services. Where man has sought to fix river positions for navigation and flood control, often with riprap, bulkheads or other hard-armoring, modifying these artificial structures with Nature-based techniques can be a straightforward means to restore riparian habitat and improve regional ecosystems.

On such projects Lally LLC engineers research and quantify the range of relevant site physical conditions, including return-interval river levels, flow conditions, wind waves, vessel wakes, and other erosion forces to be accounted for in the Nature-based design.

The types of River Engineering projects Lally LLC personnel have engineered and oftentimes oversee construction of, include;

Integrated Contaminated Sediment Remediation
Curvilinear Erosion Control Revetments
Salmon Access and Spawning Channels
Intertidal Habitat Basins
Riparian Wave Buffer^TM
Fish Spawning Benches
High Energy Bioengineered Riverbank Erosion Control
Large Woody Debris (LWD) Training Structures
Docks, Piers, and Quay Walls
Green Marina and Port Facilities
Cellular Cofferdams
Sand Filled-Geotextile Tubes
Porta-Dams
Wave Attenuators
Entrance Channel Jetties
Scour Protection
Fish Mix Amendments
Living Shorelines
Public Access Beaches
Sand-filled Geotextile Tube Jetties
Engineered Log Jam
Tribal Fishing Net Facilities

Lally LLC specializes in the remediation of industrial waterways integrated with ecosystem restoration, with clients including federal, state and regional governments, ports and marinas, commercial and private entities.

The world’s river deltas are ecological powerhouses, providing large-scale habitat for fish, waterfowl and mammals, as well as numerous societal benefits including absorbing energies from storms and floods, filtering polluted water, and providing fertile land for agriculture.

Threatened by human activities including channelization, installation of dams, as well as shoreline erosion and saltwater intrusion, delta systems often require careful management. Working with Nature approaches can be of great benefit in restoring and protecting delta systems.

For more than 30 years, Lally LLC coastal engineers have been working to introduce Nature-based solutions in several different delta regions. Our projects have included;

Delta Fringing Barrier Island Restoration Design
Mississippi River Delta Dredging for Marsh Restoration
Back Bay and Wetlands Restoration
Elwha River Delta Living Shorelines
Vertical Structure Removal
Riparian Revetment^TM
Armor Rock Recycling
Engineered Log Structures
Nature-based Groin Fields^TM
Surf Smelt Spawning Benches
Vegetative Plantings
Public Access and Education

Let Lally help you realize high-performing Nature-based engineering solutions on your next project,

Beach, barrier island and wetland systems are foundations for coastal resiliency, healthy ecosystems, and economic growth. Impacted by natural processes and human activities, these coastal zone resources are continually changing and under stress.

To restore and sustain the world’s coastlines and wetlands, comprehensive knowledge of coastal processes, sediment dynamics, ecosystem services, and large-scale sediment conveyance systems (i.e. hydraulic dredging) is required. Having worked on over forty (40) federal, state, municipal, and private coastal projects, with more than 80,000,000 cy of sand and silt dredged and placed beneficially for hurricane damage reduction, environmental restoration and recreation, as coastal engineers and dredging contractors, Lally LLC has acquired these skills.

Our design approach incorporates thorough understanding of regionwide coastal processes, morphology, sediment budgets, equilibrium beach profiles, source – native compatibility analysis, alongside practical knowledge of dredging equipment, borrow area selection and management, and sediment fill placement processes. To avoid downdrift negative impacts we evaluate restoration projects on a system-wide basis, often using advanced numerical modeling resources.

Once geomorphological assessment, sediment budgets and beach fill templates are initially resolved, a critical component in beach and wetland restoration is borrow source selection and design. At some sites, material sources will be obvious, resulting from availability of maintenance or capital works dredging project from an adjacent channel, or other beneficial use opportunity. Increasingly however sources for compatible fill materials are difficult to access for economic (i.e. haul distance, depth) or environmental reasons (i.e. proximity to hard bottom, ecological receptors). For some projects, trucking materials in from quarries may be more advantageous, and there exist then a range of new considerations related to truck traffic and environmental safeguarding.

For all our coastal restoration projects we seek to integrate Working with Nature concepts into the shoreline, erosion control, and borrow source design components, while yielding projects more efficient and less costly through innovation and coastal engineering and dredging construction know-how.

Lally LLC applies creativity and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) tools to determine optimal material sources for a site and can iteratively engineer coastal protection and enhancement projects to leverage regional opportunities. Particle compatibility analysis using sediment sample analysis is an important part of this process which can involve sediment core sampling, geophysical surveys and geotechnical laboratory testing to assess long-term erodibility. Compatibility with ecological functions, for example sea turtle nesting and habitat for threatened shore birds, is also taken into consideration in the designs.

The types of Nature-based Coastal projects Lally LLC engineers have designed and contributed to include;

Beach Nourishment and Restoration
Barrier Island Restoration
Ecological Borrow Area Delineation and Management
Wetland Engineering
Living Shorelines
Dune and Beachgrass Restoration
Sand Filled-Geotextile Tubes
Hardened Structure Removal and Recycling
Riparian Revetment^TM
Fish Spawning Benches
Inland Infrastructure Relocation
Offshore Detached Breakwaters
Nature-based Groin Fields
Artificial Reefs
Entrance Channel Jetties
Scour Protection
Climate Change Adaptation
Public Access and Education

As marine contractors, engineers, and biologists trained at leading ocean engineering and aquatic fisheries programs in the U.S. and Europe, Lally LLC personnel carry specialized knowledge and experience to plan, design and install Nature-based engineering projects in the offshore environment.

Since the 1990s Lally has been involved with offshore borrow source selection and management for beach and barrier island restoration projects accounting for not only sediment compatibility, but also offshore hydrodynamic and environmental impacts. Modifying offshore borrow locations, dimensions and depths can serve to more favorably affect wave transformation, and create opportunities, for example by thin layer removal and sculpting, for improved offshore benthic habitat, or onshore recreation improvements in the form of surf breaks or shore access.

At Lally LLC we seek to contribute to the evolution of offshore renewable energy as wholly beneficial to the environment. In this regard, we are developing new Working with Nature engineering solutions to allow for the expansion of offshore renewable energy installations through mitigation of impacts to and enhancement of offshore marine ecosystems. One initiative we are excited to introduce is Biomimicry Scour Protection (BSP)^TM.

Lally LLC has also developed a number of erosion control design tools for both conventional and Nature-based Solutions, including the Offshore Scour Protection Configurator^TM. Based on state-of-practice offshore erosion formula and applying design recurrence-interval MetOcean data, this model can size BSP^TM, as well as conventional armor units and filter layer dimensions for coastal and offshore sites anywhere in the world.