Journal of the Civil Engineering Forum Vol. 4 No.

2 (May 2018)

Performance Evaluation on Low-Crest Breakwater at North Coast of Java

Island

Parlindungan Sudrajat Simanjuntak

Board of Kalimantan I River Basin, Ministry of Public Works, Pontianak, INDONESIA
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Low-crest breakwater is one of coastal safety structures that used in managing the erosion at along the coast. As a newly studied
and used coastal safety structure in Indonesia, the use of the structure requires an evaluation of whether its application is
succeeded or not. Therefore, evaluation regarding on the utilization of coastal safety structure in form of low-crest breakwater
was conducted. The research was to be conducted in locations that have low-crest breakwater structures, which is Pekalongan
City, Demak Regency, and Jepara Regency. The research was conducted by using primary data in form of direct observation on
location of implementation; and secondary data in form of tidal, wave, and coast material data. These data were expected to be
able to provide a depiction on whether the low-crest breakwater structure application in Pekalongan City, Demak Regency, and
Jepara Regency are succeeded. The observation in the implementation area showed positive result in the form of coast
sedimentation in Pekalongan City and Demak Regency; although structural damage occurred in the Jepara Regency location.
The matters that related to this condition were structure material and coast utilization. The material of the structured use geo-
textile with 5 to 7 years usage time—in which damage would develop when in direct contact with human or if there’s sharp
material towards the coast. In the case of coast utilization activities, such as boat mooring or fishing, geotextile material best not
to be installed, or other stronger material should be chosen for it.

Keywords: Low-Crest Breakwater; coastal safety; North Coast of Java; breakwater

1 INTRODUCTION reviewed, particularly on the research locations of

Pekalongan City, Demak Regency, and Jepara
Application of low-crest breakwater structure has been Regency; whilst also studying on what parameters most
vastly used in the developing countries, yet this affecting to the performance of low-crest breakwater
structure was one of the coastal safeties that just newly structure on the field. The research was intended to
studied by the Ministry of Public Works in 2009, and evaluate the low-crest breakwater performance in the
was being installed as a test run in Pasir Putih Anyer mitigation management on North Coast of Java, with
Beach, West Coast of Banten Province, on 2010. Low- study cases of Pekalongan City, Jepara Regency, and
crest breakwater as one of man-made coastal safety has Demak Regency.
similar function with coastal safety in general but has
an advantage in terms of more environmentally-safe
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
and able to maintain the aesthetic of the beach itself.

As an evaluation of its effectiveness, installation test of 2.1 Transformation of Waves at Approaching the
low-crest breakwater was conducted in several Beach
locations in North Coast of Java, as a follow-up from The propagation of waves when approaching the beach
prototype testing in Pasir Putih Anyer Beach. Some of undergoes several changes because of influence from
the locations were including the Tanjung Kait Beach in the water depth, the shape of the beach profile, and of
Tangerang and Pisangan Beach in Karawang; it was course, the character of the waves itself. The forms of
with hope that the installation would have same success change that could occur are refraction, diffraction, and
such as in Pasir Putih Anyer Beach. However, because reflection.
of the installations is still new, the effectiveness and
success of the low-crest breakwater certainly must be Figure 1 shows that with the installation of the
researched whether it can provide the expected results. breakwater construction, the process is still taking
place. Diffraction would bend at around the obstacle
The formulation of the problem that was about to be end and would enter the sheltered region behind it, in
studied is on the performance of the low-crest direction of perpendicular propagation. Reflection
breakwater structure that was newly built in 2010, collides directly to the construction, and become a fully
which its benefit on North Coast of Java needed to be or partially reflection depends on its construction types,

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permeable or impermeable. Propagation of the wave 2.3 Tide

energy would occur on the breakwater construction, the Tide is the result of sea levels fluctuation due to
wave would move toward the beach with direction of attractive force of sky objects, which are the sun and
wave height change into smaller or shielded, which the moon; particularly the moon, because of its closer
also known as the process of diffraction. distance to earth. The height of tide is vertical distance
between high water and low water that are in sequence
Wave to the with water surface rising period which is called high
coastal tide, and low tide for the decrease of sea water level.
Information:
1. Refraction The turning point (slack) is the reversed current
2. Reflection between high tide current and low tide current. Turning
3. Diffraction
4. Breakwater
point can happen at water surface at its highest and
5. Coastal water surface at its lowest, and the current velocity is
6. Depth zero.
Contour

Sea surface elevation that changes all the time requires

a fixed elevation based on the tidal data. The elevations
are as follows (Yuwono, 2016):
Figure 1. Refraction, diffraction, and reflection on the 1. HAT (Highest Astronomical Tide)
breakwater
2. HHWS (Higher High Water Spring)
3. MHWS (Mean High Water Spring)
2.2 Break Wave 4. MSL (Mean Sea Level)
The waves from deep-ocean that goes toward the beach 5. MLWS (Mean Low Water Spring)
are experiencing changes. The changes are shown in 6. LLWS (Lower Low Water Spring)
the shape of the waves, in which the crest is 7. LAT (Lowest Astronomical Tide)
increasingly sharp, the trough is increasingly flat, also
the increasingly reduced speed and the wavelengths. 2.4 Coastal Sediment Transport
Coastal sediment is caused by the transports that
The comparison between wave height and wave length formed caused by the waves and currents. The
in the form of the tilt are affecting the break wave. If sediment is the result that came from river or sea itself;
the wave goes to shallow sea, the boundary slope if there is a cliff on the coast, then the sediment can also
depends on the relative depth d/L and seabed slope m. form from the scouring of the cliff. The sediment
supply caused by wave amount is of course not the
First Breaking
Wave
Last Breaking
Wave same with the sediment that came from the river.

Sediment transport on the coast is affected by decrease

in depth and increase in wave height. The velocity
increase near the bed causes a stronger sedimentation
movement, which then causes ripple—in form of
Keterangan:
Rc = distance of structure
seabed small wave with vertical peak on the wave
peak from MSL
B = Width peak of
direction. The forming of the ripple would increase
Breakwater
breakwater
HWL = Highest Water Level
turbulence and lifting of the sediment in form of
Pu
Ht
= Pilling Up
= Height of transmission suspension—which is also known as suspension
wave
transport. If the water movement is becoming stronger,
the ripple will dissipate and a mass transport will
Figure 2. Break wave on low-crest breakwater (Water occur—in form of layer with certain thickness that
Resources Research and Development Center, 2015) lifted in form of sedimentation transport.

Figure 2 shows the break wave on the low-crest Sediment transport on low-crest breakwater is only an
breakwater structure construction. The structure of offshore-onshore transport, in which the formed
low-crest breakwater is constructed in a way so that the sediment comes from the beach that is perpendicular to
waves that pass through the structure top are forced to the sea (Figure 3). But the low-crest breakwater with
break and dissipate its energy. gap has another advantage than the conventional
breakwater, whereas the sediment transport does not
depend on tidal cycle and takes place continuously.
This is because the installation of low-crest breakwater

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structure is in MSL condition, which causes sediment a) Strengthening/protecting the coast so it could
transport does not depend on high tide condition. withstand the invading waves,
b) Changing sediment transport rates along the coast,
Coastal c) Reduce the energy of the wave that reaches the
shore,
d) Add sedimentation supply to the beach or the ones
that eroded.
Breakwater Breakwater
Erosion management is adjusted to the existing
environmental condition in the eroded location; the
categories of erosion management are by natural and
artificial management. Natural management is usually
geographically supported, such as utilization of sand
Upcoming dunes, sands, mangrove utilization and Nipa palm in
wave muddy beaches, or beaches with corals that could
Figure 3. Sediment transport on low-crest breakwater withstand charging waves.
(Water Resources Research and Development Center,
2015) In general, natural coastal management could be done
if geographical support is in place. Natural
2.5 Coastal Damage and Its Security Efforts management such as mangrove utilization still could be
conducted even if the material is not available in the
On total length of Indonesian coast at 99,000 km, there
location—if it is geographically supported, the material
are about twenty percent of damage recorded, which
still could be procured. However, it still needs to be
caused by environmental change and coastal erosion.
supported with condition of muddy beach, which could
Coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon in which the support the life ability of the mangrove-type plants. At
coast’s natural defense could not withstand the another natural management effort, sand dunes usually
invading incoming waves, thus the coast could be exist in beaches with spills from volcano materials.
eroded. After the large wave subsided, the coast would This is clearly seen on Parangtritis Beach in
return to its former form with the effect from normal Yogyakarta, which has Mount Merapi as its supporter;
waves; yet there are times that the eroded coast could without similar supply, the sand dunes would not be
not return to its form because the materials that shape formed.
the coast are transported into other places and do not
Geographical advantage is sometimes not obtained in a
return to its original location. Therefore, the coast has
beach area; therefore it is required artificial
suffered from erosion (Triatmodjo, 2012).
management as an option. Artificial reinforcement on
Other conditions that cause erosion is man-made beach could be in form of reinforcement by additional
damages, in form of mangrove logging and coral reef structure on beach, stabilization construction, and
mining—whereas both are the natural protections of a beach restoration.
coast. The change in land use, industrial polluting, and
Low-crest breakwater is a type of artificial
mining that human carried out also cause damages to
reinforcement, in the form of a stabilization
these natural protections.
construction that is similar to conventional breakwater.
Coast utilization that nowadays established by the Similar to common breakwater, low-crest breakwater is
community, such as salt mining area, tidal agricultural intended to weaken the wave energy, holding
zone, tourism object, and industrial area, have made the sedimentation transport, and to form salient. The
coastal area into a very important area for daily life. In difference of using low-crest breakwater lies in the
this case, if a coastal area is not protected, the damages placement of the peak that is close to or slightly appears
would occur uncontrollably. above the average sea level.

Coastal protection is intended to handle the existing Optimal installation of low-crest breakwater is depicted
erosion on the coast that suffers from shoreline retreat. in Figure 4 in which the low-crest breakwater could
The first thing to do is to find what causes the erosion, create a minimum water rise and does not create
then to determine the appropriate way to handle it. undesirable current, such as rip current. One of the
There are several ways to protect the beach, such as problems in installation the low-crest breakwater with
(Triatmodjo, 2012): gap is the rip current, which could potentially erode
sedimentation behind the coast structure. This could
also disrupt the performance of the structure.

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The design of low-crest breakwater is to reduce or Table 1. Geotextile Parameters for Low-crest Breakwater
prevent coastal erosion, and to boost sediment Parameter Testing Method Unit
accumulation so that new beach would be formed. An ASTM D 4595
effective placement of the low-crest breakwater Tensile ISO 10319 : 2008 N/m
installation is by placing the structure on MSL (Mean RSNI M-05-2005
Sea Level) position, or below the highest water level. ASTM D 4595
Elongation ISO 10319 : 2008 %
RSNI M-05-2005
ASTM D 6241
Puncture N
ISO 12236 : 2006
ASTM D 4884
Seam ISO 10321 : 2008 N/m
RSNI M-03-2005
Apparent
Opening Size ASTM D 4751 mm
(AOS)
ASTM D 4491
Flow Rate ISO 11058:1999 Liter/minute/m2
SNI 08-4334-1996
Figure 4. Placement of the summit of low-crest breakwater Endurance on ASTM D 4886
%
on MSL position low-crest breakwater application on coast Abrasion ISO 13427 : 1998
Endurance on ASTM D 4355
%
The main material that commonly used in low-crest UV ASTM D 5970
breakwater structure is geotextile, which is an artificial
product made from polymer material that is fabricated Determination of the threshold distance for low-crest
from a knitted or woven fabric sheet. breakwater is based on submergence, which is ratio
Basic details of the geotextile material are on the fiber between water depths to height of the low-crest
type and the fiber fusion type. Geotextile itself has two breakwater structure. There are three points that could
category types, which are woven, with large pores and be noticed, which are submergence degree in form of
more-organized woven fibers; and non-woven, with threshold distance Rc = h-d, relative height of the
very small pores and unorganized or unwoven fibers. structure h/d, and ratio between threshold distance to
This geotextile material is glued, heated, or sewed on the water depth Rc/d.
its side, to be formed into tube, and then filled with Estimation of the low-crest breakwater structure is
mixture. based on several values, which are structure height h,
Geotextile is used because its characteristics which are water depth d, and difference between elevation of the
flexible, permeable, fairly economical price, structure’s peak and elevation of the average water
environmentally friendly, and the convenience to level Rc = h-d, which is the threshold distance, as shown
obtain. Filling materials on geotextile could be in form in Figure 5. On the visible peak part, if the peak exceeds
of several materials, such as non-cohesive soil like the water depth, the ratio is less than one; and in non-
sands or muds, and in several cases where higher dimensional drawing, to determine the submergence
structural rigidity is needed, cement could also be used. degree and the structure’s peak, the one used is relative
The common utilization for geotextile material in height of the structure h/d.
coastal erosion management is in geotube with various Submergence degree is connected with value on
types, such as geobag and geocontainer; the usage of threshold distance, in which it is positive if it protrudes,
these terms is highly varied, but it has the same and vice versa. Therefore, threshold distance is also
purpose, which is geotextile could be filled with natural called as submergence degree. To determine relative
materials. threshold distance, ratio between submergence degree
Appropriate selection on low-crest breakwater and water depth could also be used:
structure must fulfill several requirements, which are 𝑅𝑐 (ℎ−𝑑) ℎ
the double lock stitch type, with thread that has 𝑑
= 𝑑
=𝑑−1 (1)
specification of seawater-proof, no connection, and the
basic materials are polypropylene, polyester, and
polyamide. The requirements and determined
standards in choosing the appropriate geotextile are
shown in Table 1.

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3.1 Coast condition and changes in shoreline

At this stage, research was to be conducted visually by
data collecting directly to the location field and through
previous report data. The type of data that was about to
be taken are:
Note :
Rc = distance of structure peak
Breakwater
from MSL
B = width peak of breakwater a) Coast utilization by the community
HWL = Highest Water Level
h = structure height b) Environmental condition of the coast with
d = water depth ahead
structure installation of low-crest breakwater structure, and
c) Shoreline problems on the installation location of
the low-crest breakwater structure
Figure 5. Geometrical parameter on low-crest breakwater
structure (Sulaiman, et al., 2015)
3.2 Construction structure
To determine the placement of the low-crest At this stage, research was to be conducted by using
breakwater is by calculating the low-crest breakwater two ways, which are using secondary data from
distance from the shoreline, with the water depth taken central/local government, in form of planning data and
when the structure is completely submerged, the length implementation drawing. Next is visual data, which is
of the low-crest breakwater and the gap distance. If by data collecting directly to the location field. The
low-crest breakwater is installed more than one, the types of data taken are:
morphology of the beach behind it would be altered,
a) Review of the structure at the main material part of
with the formation of salient or tombolo.
the construction structure,
Distance of low-crest breakwater from the shoreline is b) Protection on construction and foundation
obtained from the location reference, which is the
boundary condition of low-crest breakwater. In the 3.3 Water condition
reference, the placement of low-crest breakwater from Conditions of water that were to be studied in this stage
shoreline is determined by comparing the depth of the are:
location with the tilt of the beach, in which it relation is
expressed by: a) Waves data, through the data taken from
Meteorological and Maritime Agency Class II
𝑥
cot ∅ = (2) Semarang. The data length that was used is data for
ℎ𝑠
10 years, from 2007 up to 2016. Data waves
Salient and tombolo would be formed if: recording was assumed to represent the waves
recording on the research location. The data was
𝐿𝑠 1 classified in direction and velocity, which were
< (3)
𝑥 1−𝐾𝑡 divided into 8 compass points, and distribution of
every velocity and wind direction were calculated
Salient on low-crest breakwater with gap would be
and drawn in form of wave rose.
formed if:
b) Research on coast material by taking sample from
𝐺𝑥 location field, and testing of the coast material
𝐿2 𝑠
> 0,5(1 − 𝐾𝑡 ) (4)
through laboratory testing.
With requirement of gap width:
4 RESEARCH RESULT
𝐿 ≤ 𝐺 ≤ 0.8𝐿𝑠 (5)
4.1 Pekalongan City Coast
in which Φ denotes each slope, x is low-crest Installations of low-crest breakwater structure in
breakwater distance from shoreline, hs is water depth in Pekalongan City were located in four locations as can
low-crest breakwater location, Kt is wave transmission be seen in Figure 6, the Sari Beach of ± 1650 m,
coefficient at MSL, G is gap width, aw is amplitude of Mangrove Park Beach of ± 835 m, Slamaran Tourist
designated wave, Rc is distance of structure peak from Beach of ± 410 m, and Landfills Slamaran Beach of ±
MSL, and Td is period of designated wave 975 m. The development of coastal safety structure by
low-crest breakwater was on 2011 up to 2015.
3 RESEARCH METHOD
Research was to be conducted by using three
parameters, as follows:

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4.1.2 Coastal Conditions of Pekalongan City

Summary of coastal condition can be seen in Table 2.
This data is used for design of the low-crest breakwater.

Table 2. Coastal conditions in Pekalongan Regency

Type Pekalongan City
a Swan Without Structure With Structure
Break Wave 1.75 m 1.75 m
Wave Direction Southwest Southwest
Sediment West West
b Wave Direction Total % Height (m)
East 42.61 0-0.75
Figure 6. Location of low-crest breakwater implementation Southeast 1.74 0-0.75
on Pekalongan City. West 2.59 0-0.75
c Tidal HHWS 1.19 m
MHWS 1.15 m
4.1.1 Construction Structure MSL 0.64 m
Coastal safety structure was installed with scouring MLWL 0.20 m
protection on depth of ± 0.50 m, with two types of LLWS 0.09 m
structure, ones with geobag material that was installed d Beach material
on along the shoreline, and the other one that was with Sari Beach G 2.831
geotube geotextile that was installed on ± 20 m offshore w 38.52%
sand 99.45%
at depth of MSL. On the Sari Beach and Slamaran
Gravel 0.55 %.
Tourism Beach, the coastal safety was installed with Mangrove Park G 2.61
geotube, while on Mangrove Park Beach and Landfill Beach w 25.50%
Slamaran Beach, it was installed with two types of sand 100%
coastal safety (Figure 7): the geobag and the geotube. Slamaran Beach G 3.23
Type of geotube installed was per material with width w 17.98%
of 20 m and height of 1.5 m. Geobag was installed on sand 100%
two types, first one was with width of 4.40 m and height
of 1.35 m, and second one was with width of 5.50 m 4.1.3 Beach Conditions and Shoreline Change
and height of 1.80 m. Before low-crest breakwater was installed, the beach
suffered from erosion and coastal flood that threaten
settlement condition around the coast (HuMa, 2006);
even though construction of coastal safety has been
conducted, such as with seawall, groin, and masonry.
After the coastal safety construction used the low-crest
breakwater structure, condition of the beach has got
several changes, such as beach growth by
sedimentation presence in the location where the
structure was installed. The view of Pekalongan Beach
in 2017 is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 7. Low-crest Breakwater Construction Structure in Figure 8. Conditions of Pekalongan Beach in 2017.
Pekalongan City.

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4.1.4 Performance Evaluation on Low-crest

Breakwater on Pekalongan City
Erosion management in Pekalongan City Beach by
using low-crest breakwater structure generally showed
a positive result, by beach growth of 15 to 20 meters;
however, Slamaran Tourism Beach generally has not
shown a positive result; it’s evident from the yet
absence of new beach development in form of beach
growth. Further evaluation of this condition should be
conducted because other locations on Pekalongan coast
already have new beach growth.
Figure 9. Location of Low-crest Breakwater
This structure was located at 15 to 20 meters distance Implementation in Demak Regency
from the beach, therefore there was no significant
damage made by beach visitors. On low-crest 4.2.1 Construction Structure
breakwater structure with geobag mounted along the
beach, repairment and monitoring are necessary, Installation of low-crest breakwater in Demak Regency
because several damages that occurred, such as sand used two different structures. The Hybrid Low-crest
loss, that could create further destruction. Low-crest Breakwater was installed with bamboo reinforcement,
breakwater structure with geotube was located on with bamboo length of 4 meter, distance between
location far from visitors and tourists, but monitoring bamboo of 50 cm, and width of 1 m (Figure 10).
needs to be conducted on the damages.

Water conditions show the average waves of

Pekalongan City is in the category of low waves, with
dominant waves that move in Pekalongan City coast
come from northwest, north, northeast, and east on dry
season and rainy season. The tidal condition in
Pekalongan City on installation of low-crest
breakwater in MSL showed that the height of tidal
wave could help the sedimentation process. The
analysis result from software SWAN showed that
although installation of low-crest breakwater reduces
the wave height, the incoming wave that still arrives at
the structure would help the sediment transport process.

In general, erosion along the Slamaran Beach could be

handled with low-crest breakwater installation, yet it
could not be used for coastal flood. This is because the
low-crest breakwater was installed in the MSL
position. Other coast management effort should be used
to handle coastal flood.

4.2 Demak Regency Coast

Installation of low-crest breakwater structure in Demak
Regency was located in Sayung Sub-district, Sriwulan
Village as shown in Figure 9. There were two types of
low-crest breakwater structure installation, which are
the Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater structure on 2015 of
± 195 m and Geobag low-crest breakwater with
bamboo pole in 2016 of ± 80 m. Both of the low-crest Figure 10. Detailed Drawing on Low-crest breakwater on
breakwater structure types were installed in MSL. Demak Regency

Reinforcement of rope and bamboo crosswise as

reinforcement between bamboos, and low-crest
breakwater materials was using rock with 10/15 cm of

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size as its filler. On structure of geobag low-crest directly to the settlement. There was no material filling
breakwater with bamboo pole, bamboo was used in on the Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater that was installed
wide position as the foundation reinforcement, and in front of the settlement, therefore it is not working;
scouring protection was installed with 50 cm distance while several points of the installation on the mangrove
between bamboo, and in the longitudinal side, bamboo plant protection were still not filled, therefore the
was installed with 50 cm of distance between bamboo protection does not run well and the mangroves are
for as long as 80 m on both side. The length of one suffered from damages.
bamboo foundation was 4.50 m with depth of the stake
was 2.50 m.

4.2.2 Coastal Conditions of Demak Regency Coast

Summary of coastal condition in Demak Regency can
be seen in Table 3. This data is used for design of the
low-crest breakwater.

Table 3. Coastal conditions in Demak Regency (a) Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater In Front of the Settlement
and Mangrove Protection
Type Demak Regency
a Swan Without Structure With Structure
Break Wave 2 m 2m
Wave Direction Southeast Southeast
Sediment East, Southeast East, Southeast
b Wave Direction Total % Height (m)
Northeast 16.52 0-0.75
East 46.96 0-0.75 (b) Geobag Low-crest Breakwater with Bamboo Poles
HHWS 120.59 cm
c Tidal (m) MSL 59.90 cm Figure 11. Demak Regency Beach Conditions
LLWS 0.79 cm
G 2.52 4.2.4 Performance Evaluation on Low-crest
w 190.08% Breakwater on Demak Regency
d Beach Material sand 44.28%
Silt 31.68% On its installation, the Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater
clay 24.04% has not shown the expected result. The Hybrid Low-
crest Breakwater installation has two functions, which
4.2.3 Beach Conditions and Shoreline Change are to protect the residents’ settlement, and to protect
the mangrove forest. The installation of Hybrid Low-
Damages occur in Sriwulan Village Beach are coastal
crest Breakwater with the intention of protecting
erosion and coastal flood, in which the land subsidence
residents’ settlement has shown result, in which the
and rising sea level took place. The increasing number
of ponds then damages the beach condition; also the coastal flood wave did not directly hit the settlement,
although the coastal flood that occurred still inundate
illegal mangrove logging causes erosion and makes a
faster destruction on beach in the location the residents’ homes. As for Hybrid Low-crest
Breakwater for mangrove forest protection, it was not
(KeSEMaTJURNAL, 2010).
maximal, since there are still several locations without
On the location of geotextile geobag low-crest filling. This then caused a less maximal performance
breakwater, there was presence of sedimentation or a from the Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater structure in
beach growth since the installation in 2016; however protecting the mangrove plants. Further advanced
this beach growth still could not solve the problem. management and monitoring on the location are
This is because the installation that was only ± 80 m needed; in order to make the structure could maximally
and coastal flood that is still happening. perform, since the mangrove utilization could give
added value in the existing protection.
Hybrid Low-crest Breakwater as shown in Figure 11
was installed on three positions, which are in front of In general, the erosion management in Sriwulan
the settlement, at side of the settlement, and at the Village Beach, Demak Regency by using geobag low-
mangrove plant protection. The observation on Hybrid crest breakwater with bamboo has shown positive
Low-crest Breakwater showed that the best result, in which sedimentation has occurred in the
performance was the ones at the side of the settlement, location of the low-crest breakwater installation. The
in which it holds the coastal flood wave that goes bamboo utilization as structure protection has gave
added value for safety to the geobag material; whereas
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only relatively small damages occurred, in the form of Table 4. Coastal conditions in Jepara Regency
declining position of the bamboo pole, which needs Type Jepara Regency
monitoring and repairment. Another repairment that a With
Swan Without Structure
could be conducted is cleaning the shells that are Structure
attached, so as not to cause further damage to the Break Wave
1.5 m
1.5 m
structure. Wave Southeast
Southeast
Direction East,
East, Southeast
Water conditions show the average waves of Demak Sediment Southeast
Regency is in the category of low waves, with b Wave Height
Direction Total %
dominant waves that come from northeast and east. The (m)
tidal condition in Demak Regency on installation of East 46.09 0-1.50
Southwest 3.48 0-1.50
low-crest breakwater in MSL showed that the height of
c Tidal (m) HHWS 153.90 cm
tidal wave could help the sedimentation process. The MSL 94.50 cm
analysis result from software SWAN showed that LLWS 35.10 cm
although installation of low-crest breakwater reduces d Beach G 4.11
the wave height, the incoming wave that still arrives at Material w 13.37%
the structure would help the sediment transport process. sand 100%

Geobag low-crest breakwater with bamboo pole 4.3.2 Construction Structure

showed positive result in terms of sedimentation issue,
Figure 13 shows the material used in the low-crest
yet not on the coastal flood—in which it still occurred.
breakwater construction which was non-woven geobag
This is because the geobag low-crest breakwater with
filled with local sands. Geobag was placed as high as 2
bamboo pole was installed in the MSL position. Other levels, with foundation digging of as deep as more or
coast management effort should be used to handle
less 30 cm, with average width of 2.40 m, and height of
coastal flood.
about 1 m. Reinforcement of non-woven geotextile
material on lower layer as support was implemented in
4.3 Jepara Regency Coast
the lower part of the foundation.
Low-crest breakwater structure in Jepara Regency was
installed in Bayuran Beach. Low-crest breakwater
structure was installed ± 500 m along the shoreline
(Figure 12).

Figure 13. Construction of low-crest breakwater in Jepara

Regency

4.3.3 Beach Conditions and Shoreline Change

The existing erosion condition in along the Bayuran
Beach of Jepara Regency has shown destruction in
form of shoreline retreat, which threatens the
settlement area around the Bayuran Beach. The
shoreline retreat in Bayuran Beach is 20 to 50 meters
long. Related to the development of Steam Power Plant
Figure 12. Location on Low-crest Breakwater that was built since 2006, this has led to the increase of
Implementation on Jepara Regency waves that move toward to Bayuran Beach. This is
shown on the loss of sand delta that shaped like a small
4.3.1 Summary of Coastal Conditions in Jepara island, which was located 10 meters from the shore of
Regency Bayuran Beach (Jaringnews.com, 2103).
Summary of coastal conditions in Jepara Regency
shown in Table 4.

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condition on the field, in which a type of shell material

that exists on the beach location could damage the low-
crest breakwater material. Another cause that could
contribute to the damage is the placement of fishing
boats on the location of the coastal safety structure.
This is because the type of low-crest breakwater
material, which was geotextile, is not a material that
Structural Damage
strong enough to resist the friction from the boats.
Structural Damage

5 CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions that can be drawn from this study is are as
follows:

a) Coastal safety using low-crest breakwater structure

with non-woven geotextile material (material that is
generally made from polyester (PET) or
polypropylene (PP)) has usage time of around 5 to
Structural Damage Reduced Structural Damage
7 years in its utilization to handle the erosion. This
material is not as strong as construction with stone
or concrete materials. The low-crest breakwater
Figure 14. Structural damage of the low-crest breakwater
structure on Jepara Regency
structures in Pekalongan City that were generally
installed in 2012 are already showing damages in
several parts, although they have a relatively strong
Based on the observation, low-crest breakwater geotextile material. The selection of geotextile
installation on Bayuran Beach did not show the material should also be in accordance with the beach
expected result, because of damages that occurred on condition; in which this discrepancy occurred in
the material and structure of the low-crest breakwater. Jepara Regency, other than the geotextile material
The condition of the low-crest breakwater structural that looks incompatible, sharp shell materials are
damage was shown in Figure 14, in which from the found, and boat moorings are also present in the
structure up to the foundation of the coastal safety installation location. Suitable structure installation
structure suffered from damage. was seen in the location of Sriwulan Village Beach
4.3.4 Performance Evaluation on Low-crest in Demak Regency, in which the structure
Breakwater on Jepara Regency protection in form of bamboos pole could help to
secure the structure.
Erosion management with low-crest breakwater b) For the necessity of coastal safety for the purpose of
structure along the shoreline of Bayuran Beach in sedimentation and beach growth, the material that is
Jepara Regency showed structural damages that were good to be used in low-crest breakwater structure is
shown in almost all of the low-crest breakwater geotube geotextile, which is more stable if it is
installation points. This then caused the expected result installed on offshore. The necessity of coastal
from the installation did not generate. structure in form of reinforcement on the beach
construction structure used the geobag geotextile
Water conditions show the average waves of Jepara
that was implanted along the beach. Geobag could
Regency is in the category of low waves, with
also be used as offshore structure, although by
dominant waves that come from northwest, northeast,
additional bamboo or wood as the reinforcement.
and east. The tidal condition in Jepara Regency on
Hybrid low-crest breakwater also could be used, but
installation of low-crest breakwater in MSL showed
the need for stone material sometimes became an
that the height of tidal wave could help the
obstacle in the beach location.
sedimentation process. The analysis result from
c) Low-crest breakwater structure works better on
software SWAN showed that although installation of
muddy condition, in which mud deposition is faster
low-crest breakwater reduces the wave height, the
than sands; this was seen on the installation of
incoming wave that still arrives at the structure would
geobag low-crest breakwater with bamboo pole that
help the sediment transport process.
was installed in 2016, wherein sedimentation that
Damages on the low-crest breakwater structure on occurred in muddy beach in Demak Regency was
Jepara Regency could occur because of the low-crest faster than in the Pekalongan City with installation
breakwater material that is not in accordance with the that was implemented in 2012.

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d) Damages on low-crest breakwater structure are d) Management on coastal flood that occurs in along
generally caused by several cases. From the most the North Coast of Java could not be conducted by
frequent to rarely happen damages are vandalism, using the low-crest breakwater structure. To
fishing boats, material that attaches to structure in overcome this problem, other coastal safety
form of shells, material that goes toward the beach structure needed to be installed, one example is in
or structure, and coast utilization by the community the form of seawall.
in form of pond. The worst damage is when the
structure is left without protection and in direct REFERENCES
contact with human, which are vandalism and
HuMa, 2006. Kompas. [Online]
fishing boat. Another type of damages in form of
Available at: http://huma.or.id/wp-
material that attaches and goes toward the structure
content/uploads/2006/05/Kompas-03-Februari-2006-
could still be overcome by the structure or the
Abrasi-di-Kota-Tegal-dan-Pekalongan-Belum-
geotextile material itself.
Teratasi.pdf
e) Coastal erosion management with coastal safety
[Accessed 13 05 2017].
structure in form of low-crest breakwater is
beneficial, but could not be used in managing the Jaringnews.com, 2103. Abrasi Mengancam
coastal flood that also occurs. This is because the Pemukiman dan Sawah di Jepara. [Online]
installation of low-crest breakwater structure is in Available at: http://www.jaringnews.com/politik-
MSL (Mean Sea Level), therefore the runoff from peristiwa/umum/50697/abrasi-mengancam-
the coastal flood could still happen. pemukiman-dan-sawah-di-jepara
[Accessed 14 05 2017].
6 RECOMMENDATION
The followings are recommendations considered KeSEMaTJURNAL, 2010. Kisah Tragis Desa Sri
necessary for further research: Wulan dan Cangkringan, Demak. [Online]
Available at:
a) In using the geotextile as the main material of low- https://kesematindonesia.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/k
crest breakwater structure, it is needed to consider isah-tragis-desa-sri-wulan-dan-cangkringan-demak/
the thickness and the suitable fiber type as required [Accessed 14 05 2017].
in Indonesian National Standard or the water
conditions, because of the many variations and Sulaiman, D. M., Bachtiar, H., Taufiq, A. & Hermanto,
types of the geotextile materials in order to provide 2015. Beach Profile Changes Due to Low Crested
the maximum structure strength. Breakwaters at Sigandu Beach, Central Java. Chennai,
b) Geotextile material has a relatively short usage Elsevier, pp. 510-519.
time in its utilization as a part of structure to handle Triatmodjo, B., 2012. Perencanaan Bangunan Pantai.
the erosion on the beach; therefore additional Yogyakarta: Beta Offset.
reinforcement in form of bamboo or wood is
necessary. Other than that, advanced management Water Resources Research and Development Center,
on beach condition that has been repaired with 2015. Struktur Peredam Gelombang untuk Restorasi
mangrove planting is also necessary. Tanaman Pelindung Pantai PEGAR Tanah Lunak,
c) Geotextile material damages mostly when in direct Buleleng: Balai Pantai.
contact with human. Other than that, a location in
which boat or offshore water activities are present Yuwono, N., 2016. Teknik Survey Hidrografi.
would greatly damage the structure material. Yogyakarta: PUSTRAL.
Therefore, protection installation is needed, such as
fence or warning sign to avoid possible destruction.

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