KS Associates is thrilled to announced that the Magee Marsh Shoreline Protection Barrier project for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has received an Honor Award in the 2026 ACEC Ohio Engineering Excellence Awards Program. The protection barrier is a 1.3-mile-long stone revetment that protects Magee Marsh, one of Ohio’s most important coastal wetlands, from the forces of Lake Erie.
Over time, intense storms and wave action displaced sections of the barrier, weakening the marsh’s natural defense system and threatening to erode valuable habitat. Without intervention, valuable habitat and vital wetland functions could have been lost.
For more than seven years (2017-2024), KS Associated worked with ODNR to develop a long-term strategy to design, permit, fund, and construct the revetment along the shoreline of Magee Marsh. This included designing and permitting interim risk-reduction projects to prevent the barrier from being breached while ODNR obtained Funding to construct the large-scale repair.
KS Coastal Engineers overcame challenges such as phased funding, complex regulatory compliance, and the need for a continuous supply of 80,000 tons of armor stone for the project. KS Associates completed the design two months ahead of schedule. Early project completion not only exceeded ODNR’s expectations, it also expedited the delivery of critical protection to one of Ohio’s most important natural resources.
KS Associates would like to thank ACEC Ohio for recognizing this important project and the value it brings in preserving Magee Marsh. The result of the project is a resilient shoreline structure that protects critical wetland ecosystems, mitigates erosion, and enhances the long-term health and safety of Ohio’s coastal environment.
