What Does
Estuary Mean?
An estuary is a coastal water body that is partially enclosed by barrier islands and peninsulas. The water in an estuary is a mix of fresh water from streams and rivers and salty water from the ocean. While they are influenced by ocean tides, the full force of ocean waves and winds doesn't reach them. They're also called lagoons, wetlands and swamps. In order to protect the delicate ecological balance that exists in estuaries, trenchless construction methods such as horizontal directional drilling (HDD) can be used for pipelines that need to make a crossing through such areas.
Trenchlesspedia Explains Estuary
The ecology of an estuary is considered to be the most productive on earth and is estimated to create organic matter more than that generated by an equally sized forest or agricultural land. Since estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean winds and waves, many different and unique plant, animal and aquatic species that love brackish water are supported here. Habitat types such as mangroves, deltas, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, sand flats, swamps and marshes are found around estuaries. These places are protected under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because of the delicate ecology that exists in these areas.