ABSTRACT
Beginning in 2010, the Virginia General Assembly passed a series of resolutions and changes to existing Acts that ultimately led to the adoption of a State preference for living shoreline erosion control strategies and the development of a Living Shoreline General Permit. The Commonwealth of Virginia established a regulatory preference for the use of living shorelines and developed a General Permit process to streamline and expedite the regulatory process. The most important factors in successful local implementation of living shoreline projects have been the development of partnerships and capacity building. In some Virginia localities, two sets of regulations have the potential to regulate living shoreline projects—the Virginia Tidal Wetlands Act and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. The implementation of living shoreline erosion control strategies is not without trade-offs. However, while scientists and policy makers debate the value and wisdom of these trade-offs, living shoreline projects continue to be approved as a better alternative to shoreline hardening.
