Granite? Aluminum? Wood? Rethinking coastal infrastructure in the wake of January’s storms

Navigating the world of shoreland zoning is complicated on a good day. Now, engineers are trying to draft designs for new wharves, docks and piers that will make the infrastructure less vulnerable to rising seas and stronger storms while still meeting regulations set by communities, the Maine DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There also are practical constraints, like lobster fishermen who need docks to be at a certain level to be able to unload or load their traps. Many wharfs today are built at six feet above mean high tide, said Kenneth Knauer, a project manager with Prock Marine, but he is recommending upping that to eight feet, given the historic high tides seen in much of the state last month, which topped 14.5 feet in some places.