Um projeto piloto de recuperação de uma praia utilizando um quebramar submerso - Ponta da Praia, Santos, Brasil

Abstract

The irregular occupation of the coast is one of the main reasons for many environmental, economic and social damages. Presently, there are several stretches of Brazilian coastline under serious erosion. The erosive process has increased over the last years at Ponta da Praia in Santos, which is one of the most important cities of Brazilian Southeast region. Besides significant losses in extension of sand beach, the frequency of storm surges has been higher resulting in structural damages in avenues, streets, sidewalks, and walls used to protect the beachfront infrastructure. Solution proposals have been made and they were based on physical or numerical modeling. Meanwhile, the models can not simulate adequately the local phenomena when the hydrodynamics of the modeled region is very complex. From this perspective, it is important to find options to previously evaluate the impacts of different building designs. Thus, the implementation and monitoring of pilot projects to be accomplished in the coastal region constitute a viable alternative in the short term. The most relevant points of the pilot project built at Ponta da Praia are reported in this article. Moreover, the structural design and the first impressions of the pilot project after its implementation are presented. The designed pilot project resulted in a submerged breakwater with 515 meters long, which is made of geotubes filled with sand beach. This structure was implemented and the primary results are promising.