Recon walls have been used along ponds, lakes, streams and sea walls for over a decade. Recon licensees are located around the world in all types of geographies that have water application needs, including the Great Lakes, New England, the Carolinas, the Midwest Heartland, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Norway and New Zealand. 

The hesitancy of anyone constructing a retaining wall near water is valid, as water is the culprit behind the failure of most retaining walls. This is why special care is required for the design of Recon walls adjacent to water. Below is a list of the considerations of a Recon wall section for basic water applications:

1. Embedment – Additional embedment may be required to account for scour in front of the wall and to counteract the potential reduction of bearing capacity due to the reduced weight of the embedded soil.
2. Free Draining Backfill – A free draining aggregate backfill beyond the 12” typically provided is necessary so that a hydrostatic pressure from saturated backfill does not build up behind the wall. A free draining backfill allows water to freely flow through the wall face very quickly.
3. Filter Fabric – To prevent retained soil from migrating through the wall face (very common to happen with silt), a filter fabric is recommended between the free draining backfill and the retained soils.
4. Toe Protection – At the base of the wall, toe protection is recommended to prevent erosion. This is especially necessary for outlet pipes passing through the wall.

Construction methods are also important with some water applications. Dewatering may be required to install the leveling pad properly. For sea walls, coordination of wall construction with tidal level can be considered, although underwater construction could be required. Furthermore, tidal impacts may need to be considered.

Recon blocks are made of durable wet-cast concrete block, unlikely to experience degradation due to the presence of water on the face. If considering a segmental block wall, Recon is a superior solution compared to smaller dry cast segmental blocks.