Landon Feese | Applications Engineer
Online PDH Session — August 26 | 12:00 PM ET
Includes coastal project examples and measured outcomes. 50-minute session plus live Q&A.
Every tide that moves past a seawall or bulkhead takes a little more soil with it than it brought in. That process runs for years before anyone notices, because the wall itself usually holds its shape long after the ground behind it has hollowed out.
By the time a panel cracks, a cap shifts, or a section of walkway drops, the structure isn't announcing a new problem. It's reporting one that's already been running unseen since long before the first inspection flagged it.
That gap between when a coastal structure starts failing and when it looks like it's failing is where budgets get blown. Engineers and contractors who can read the early signs are working with a fraction of the cost, and a fraction of the disruption, of the crew who gets the call after a section of shoreline has already opened up.
Landon Feese, Applications Engineer at Alchatek, will walk through how to read the early signs of soil loss behind coastal structures and how to evaluate the repair options once it's confirmed.
The session is built around three practical questions engineers and contractors face on nearly every coastal job:
How do you confirm soil loss behind a wall you can't see behind? Landon will cover the diagnostic approach for evaluating voids and undermining behind seawalls, bulkheads, and retaining walls, including what separates a cosmetic crack from a structural warning sign.
How do the repair options actually compare? Once soil loss is confirmed, the choice usually comes down to excavation and replacement, mechanical anchoring, or chemical grouting. The session breaks these down by real cost, downtime, and how much site access each one demands, so you can make that call before it becomes an emergency decision.
Where does chemical grouting work, and where doesn't it? Tidal zones are unforgiving on materials and methods. Landon will lay out the fit criteria and limits for using chemical grouting in this environment, including where it's the right call and where it isn't.
This session is built for engineers, marine contractors, and municipal staff responsible for evaluating or maintaining seawalls, bulkheads, and waterfront retaining structures. If you've ever had to explain to a property owner or a board why a wall that "looked fine" needed emergency repair, this session is for you.