On the Atlantic Coast of France, in the region of the “Pertuis charentais”, the seaside resort: Châtelaillon, localised on the bottom of the bight known some problems of erosion.

The construction of a seawall at the end of the nineteenth century has lowered the level of the beach and increased the cross-shore transport. The different solutions (groins, breaking waves…) to keep the sand brought till the 90’s were a check.

In 1989 a first beach-nourishment with 330.000 cubic meters is tried, and a second in 1998 (150.000 m3) with success. The result: wider and upper beach is positive, with lost of sand minimized by the artificial transport of sand by trucks each year (10.000 to 30.000 cubic meters) from the downstream to the upstream side.

The fact that the strong tempest of December 1999 has made flooding only in the north side where the beach had not yet been treated have shown that the solution of the beach-nourishment is a positive solution for this site. A third beach-nourishment for the north side is provided for 2003.

The solution of the beach-nourishment has been a positive element for the growth of the seaside resort.

• Study area: around 2km ; Sedimentary cell: around 10km
• Type of coast: beaches (with sand, mud)
• Tidal regime: macro tidal (around 5m)
• Range of waves : mean Hsig =1-2 m