A longitudinally extending seawall for preventing the erosion of bluffs and beaches, comprising:
- a base portion on said seawall adapted to be positioned on a beach;
- a top portion on said seawall;
- a seaward side on said seawall adapted to face a body of water, said seaward side having a deflector surface which slopes upwardly and inwardly from said base portion to deflect incoming water upwardly, along said deflector surface, and a kicker surface which slopes upwardly and outwardly, from said deflector surface to said top portion to project said incoming water moving up said deflector surface outwardly and upwardly toward said body of water, whereby said deflector surface, by deflecting water upwardly, minimizes the amount and energy of water that is directed downwardly toward said base portion, thereby preventing trenching and scouring along said base portion which can undermine said seawall from the seaward side, and said kicker surface, by projecting water away from the beach or bluff, minimizes the amount of water that is washed over the top portion, thereby decreasing the amount of water percolating behind the seawall which can undermine the seawall from the landward side;
- a landward side on said seawall adapted to abut a bluff, said landward side having an anchor surface which slopes upwardly and inwardly from said base portion, and a cap surface which slopes upwardly and outwardly from said anchor surface to said top portion, said anchor and cap surfaces defining a concavity which is adapted to abut a bluff, whereby the weight and pressure of said bluff within said concavity acts on said sloping anchor surface, to stabilize said seawall, and said cap surface, to lock said seawall in place and resist heaving of said bluff, thereby preventing said seawall from overturning due to the force of incoming water crashing against its seaward side or pressures developed against its landward side;
- and
- a drain means for removing water from said bluff behind said seawall, whereby removing water from said bluff decreases the hydrostatic pressure within said bluff, and the forces associated therewith, thereby stabilizing said bluff and the seawall in abutment therewith, said drain means comprising a plurality of drain pipes projecting through said seawall;
- and a drain field connected to the landward ends of said drain pipes and embedded under the surface of said bluff, wherein said drain field collects water in said bluff and drains that collected water through said drain pipes out onto said seaward side of said seawall, said drain field comprising a plurality of spaced apart conduits extending upwardly from said seawall toward the top of said bluff, and a plurality of spaced apart perforated drain tubes extending longitudinally across said bluff, between said pipes, said perforated drain tubes communicating with each of said upwardly extending conduits to form a grid.