The Ecoplage® process
A simple and natural approach
The Ecoplage® system consists of :
- One or several drains installed alongside the coastline. The seawater infiltrates the drains by depression, insuring the desaturation of the sand and therefore a good attraction of the sediments on the upper part of the beach.
- Collector pipes and transport pipes which ensure that the seawater coming from the drains flows by gravity to the pump station.
- A pump station aimed to evacuate the filtered seawater. This water, perfectly clean, can be rejected to the sea or used for neighboring structures in need for filtered sea water supply (desalination units, pools, aquariums, spa, fish farms…).
An ecological and economical method
The Ecoplage® system is invisible and silent and has no negative impact on the fauna and flora. It creates a stable beach balance, without any impact on the neighboring shorelines. It does not shift the erosion issue.
It can even contribute to the protection of ecosystems: for instance, in Saint-Raphael beach, the installation of the Ecoplage® system has favored the protection of the Posidonia meadow.
Consequently, Ecoplage® is a “soft” method, as part of a sustainable development strategy.
Ecoplage® also allows cost savings :
- Reduction or cancellation of sand nourishment operations or reprofiling
- Reduction of maintenance operations on infrastructures, seawalls, ripraps…
- Protection of coastal infrastructures and buildings threatened by the coastline retreat
Moreover a well-drained beach is dryer, which entails a significant increase in available beach activities.
Several Universities have carried out scientific monitoring of the Ecoplage® installations. They clearly show that this technology is an effective method to fight erosion, or even stabilize or rebuild a beach.