Marina di Cecina urban beach:a shore protection project

Marina di Cecina is a tourist town built on the southern side of Cecina river mouth. Its urban beach has been undergoing severe erosion since the early 20th century as a consequence of reduced river sediment input. Some groins were constructed after the collapse of the first line of houses near the waterline. Immediately the shoreline assumed a characteristic saw-tooth shape and beach use and recreational facilities had to adapt to this uneven sand distribution. In 1990 two of the three main groins were extended with submerged segments and limited artificial nourishment was also performed. Some discontinuous submerged detached breakwaters were added later within the groin field, which resulted in sediment dispersion offshore. The beach was maintained with occasional nourishment, but its width could not support profitable recreational activities and some tourism facilities are still being damaged today by waves during severe storms. To solve these problems, the Livorno Province administration within the Regional shore protection plan, has performed a rehabilitation project at this urban beach. The project is based on the reconfiguration of the whole defence system, removing parallel structures and modifying the groin field; varying the lengths to reach a new alignment of the tips, in order to stabilise a new and more uniform beach to be obtained by means of artificial nourishment. Groin tips will be asymmetric, to reduce wave reflection on the exposed side; some of them will be extended with a long submerged segment made with T-shape concrete precast elements. Groins will be constructed using large flat-faced stones in order to obtain regular slopes, whereas a central pathway made of concrete will allow easy access to pedestrians. Moreover, at the extremities of the field, where parking facilities are present, groins will end with a mildly sloped ramp to give wheelchair users access to the sea.