CIRIA updates beach manual

Beaches play an important role either as the sole barriers to coastal flooding and erosion, or as part of man made defences. Beach management in the UK has evolved significantly in recent years. Optimal beach management focuses primarily on the daily, even routine, tasks of monitoring, maintaining, repairing, responding to emergencies, and occasionally on designing a scheme.

The first CIRIA Beach management manual was published in 1996. The updated manual, written by leading beach management practitioners, consultants and scientists, is due to be released in late summer 2010.

The updated manual will include the latest information on state of the art methods, guidance on beach monitoring and maintenance, evaluation of the state and performance of a beach, design, procurement, execution and the aftercare of beach improvement schemes. It will include case studies to illustrate popular management techniques and draw from experience of existing management approaches.

The manual will set down current best practice, guiding the reader through the many stages of the ‘beach management cycle.’ The manual aims to be a vital resource to all those involved in beach management in carrying out their duties effectively.