San Diego City Wire

Using a new method of erosion and storm flooding prevention, the Port of San Diego partnered in a three-year pilot project with ECOncrete to offer a proof of concept technology demonstration involved in the company's interlocking COASTALOCK Tide Pool Armor.

It is the first-ever installation of the product in the world, the Port of San Diego said in a release.

"ECOncrete's COASTALOCK tide pool armor demonstrates an innovative approach that can be used for years to come for San Diego Bay," Rafael Castellanos, a member of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, said in the release. "By mimicking natural rock pools with beautiful water-retaining features, the project will sustain valuable marine life while coping with climate change and urbanization."

The port currently uses traditional riprap rock mounds to counter erosion and storm flooding, the port said. One of the downsides to the conventional approach is a lack of habitat value.

The COASTALOCK system is meant to provide a low-maintenance alternative that has structural and environmental advantages over riprap, the port said. It is expected to promote marine organisms and assist in restoring local ecosystems.

"Harbor Island is the first and only location in Southern California for locals and visitors to see first-hand what kind of sea life takes residence in man-made tide pools," Castellanos said.

Under the pilot project, ECOncrete will evaluate the tide pool units' viability as a riprap alternative, the port said.

ECOncrete co-founder and CEO Shimrit Perkol-Finkel said that the pilot would serve to prove that concrete infrastructure can be both structurally sound and good for ecosystems.

"COASTALOCK is a fully load-bearing, durable solution that changes the form and function of our developed coastlines — making them stronger, able to store carbon while rejuvenating the precious coastal ecosystems, and inviting the local community to engage with their waterfront," Perkol-Finkel said.