The impact of tidal shoreline erosion and the development of programs to mitigate those impacts have become issues of major concern for many coastal areas. In the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia, erosion action has caused losses of up to twenty feet of shore depth per year and in several cases structures have actually fallen into the Bay waters. This physical process of erosion generally has not been perceived as a problem until it has induced an economic impact on either an individual or a community. These economic impacts have become more significant and more widespread and consequently the situation has resulted in major emphasis being placed on better management of tidal shoreline erosion.