Shoreline Erosion and Management Planning and Beach Nourishment Performance Monitoring, Town of Jupiter Island, FL – Coastal Engineer/Project Manager.
The Town of Jupiter Island has a long-term commitment to managing coastal erosion through beach nourishment by dredging sand from the offshore regions and placing sand on its beaches. Woods Hole Group worked with the Town to develop a large-scale beach nourishment design. Mr. Hamilton completed the technical work for the project, including wave data collection and analysis, wave modeling, sediment transport modeling, and shoreline change modeling. The models were developed and calibrated to the Jupiter Island coast from St. Lucie Inlet south through Jupiter Inlet. The calibrated models then were applied to simulate a range of shore protection alternatives, including various beach nourishment design configurations, and combinations of coastal structures to hold the sand on the beaches. Beach nourishment projects were constructed in 1996 and in 2003 according to the updated design. Beach profile monitoring data were collected and analyzed, and demonstrated that the new project design provides improved protection, including hurricane flood damage control.

Evaluation of Thermal Discharge Processes and Regulatory Compliance at Salem and Hope Creek Stations, Newark, NJ, Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Key member of a vast multi-disciplinary team conducting a 316(a) federal water quality standards regulatory analysis.  Performed numerical modeling, data analysis, and technical writing to support a comprehensive hydrothermal and biothermal assessment of a cooling water discharge system in an Estuary.  Completed extensive and innovative scope of work of unprecedented scientific and engineering defensibility within required fast-track schedule.  Excellent communication with team members and the client was essential for the successful completion of this project.

Winthrop Shores Restoration Program, Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Served as Woods Hole Group project manager for this public lands improvement responsible for the analysis of coastal processes and design of shore protection measures, primarily beach replenishment. Other considerations of the project included roadway and public access, and improvement of a marsh wetland area. The project required a careful combination of technical expertise with practical public considerations.

Offshore Disposal Site Selection, Salisbury, MA, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Collected bathymetry and side scan sonar data. Conducted wave and sediment transport modeling and analyses to select an appropriate nearshore site for dredged material disposal. Data collected under challenging winter marine environmental conditions so that schedules could be maintained. Permits were successfully obtained for the project.

Peer Review of Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan, Palm Beach, FL, Town of Palm Beach, Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Served as Town’s expert Coastal Engineering Peer Review Consultant.  Reviewed long-term comprehensive management plan, and presented targeted recommendations to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of future shore protection projects.

Tidal Flushing and Water Quality Assessment of Various Cape Cod Estuaries, Cape Cod, MA, Cape Cod Commission and municipalities, Coastal Engineer/Project Manger.
Designed and participated in field data collection programs related to bathymetric surveying and tide gauging.  Completed numerical modeling of tidal circulation and water quality processes, and technical report writing tasks.  Presented results at numerous public meetings.

Identification of 1-, 10-, 20-, and 50-Year Design Wave Conditions for the Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Facility Shoreline Protection, Boston, MA, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Completed storm wave analysis to support the design of extensive shore protection structures for a large wastewater treatment facility in Boston, MA.  Maintained long-term support throughout the duration of the project.

Field Data Collection and Numerical Modeling of Circulation Patterns in the Delaware Estuary, Salem, MA, Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Coastal Engineer / Field Data Collection.
Completed a large-scale data collection and numerical modeling study of the Delaware Estuary.  The data collection program consisted of wave, tide, current, bathymetry, salinity, temperature, and meteorological measurements.  Some data were reported real-time via a cable link to the shoreline.  The vast data set was consolidated and used to calibrate a three-dimensional numerical circulation model of the Estuary-wide processes.  Particular emphasis was placed on characterizing circulation patterns in the vicinity of a cooling water intake and discharge system to identify processes contributing to the accumulation of detritus in the intake basin.  Recommendations were provided for improving station operations to prevent detritus accumulation, which would result in safer and more cost-effective operations.

Historical Investigation of Industrialization and Sediment Contamination, Newark, NJ, Confidential Client, Coastal Engineer / Project Manager.
Conducted in-depth historical investigation of industrialization, including identification of the number and types of industries and characteristics of waste streams.  Correlated the industrial development history with the historical record of contamination in sediment cores.  Developed relational database and GIS to query and visualize vast data sets. Used by client on strategic planning tool for managing environmental liabilities.

Natural Resources and Beach Management Plan for Sandy Neck Beach, Town of Barnstable, MA, Project Scientist and Manager.
Lead multi-disciplinary team to develop a management plan for a controversial set of beach users related to ORV use, private, property access, endangered species protection (i.e., piping plovers, least terns, and diamondback terrapins), and municipal management needs/objectives. Conducted research, site assessments, public environmental regulatory workshops; prepared documents; held public hearings; and obtained environmental permits.

Scarborough March Restoration, Main Department of Inland and Marine Fisheries, Project Manager.
Completed data collection, numeral modeling, and alternatives analysis required to develop viable marsh restoration alternatives. Data collection included tides, currents, salinity, and bathymetry. Circulation and salinity models were developed, including wetting and drying of the marsh plain for both existing conditions and for restoration alternatives. A conceptual design for marsh restoration, including waterfowl and fisheries habitat enhancements and minimization of Phagmites encroachment, was presented.

Evaluation of Dissolved Oxygen Processes and Regulatory Compliance at Big Bend Station, Tampa Electric Company, Project Manager.
Provided strategic environmental management advice and technical support services for permit applications and consent order implementation. A variety of compliance vehicles were evaluated, including consistency with governing water quality standards, mixing zone definition, and a variance from otherwise applicable standards. Technical aspects included data collection (CO, temperature, currents, tides, bathymetry, sediments), numerical/analytical modeling.

Publications and Presentations

Hamilton, R.P., C. Bryant, J. Spurgeon, and M. Utku.    2000.    "Beach Replenishment Performance at jupiter Island, FL."    Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Conference Presentation.

Ramsey, J.S. and R.P. Hamilton Jr.  1997.  “Analysis of Sediment Transport Patterns and Shore Protection Alternatives at Westport, MA.”  National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, Florida Shore and Beach Association, Conference Proceedings.

Hamilton, R.P. Jr, J.S. Ramsey, and D.G. Aubrey.  1996.  “Numerical Predictions of Erosional Hot-Spots and Optimization of Shore Protection Alternatives at Jupiter Island, FL.”  National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, Florida Short and Beach Association, Conference Proceedings.

Ramsey, J.S., R.P. Hamilton, Jr. and D.G. Aubrey.  1995. “Nested Three- Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling of the Delaware Estuary."  4th International Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Modeling, ASCE Waterway, Port Coastal and Ocean Division.

Hamilton, R.P. Jr., R.A. Darlrymple, J. Oltman-Shay, and U. Pretrevu.  1994.  “Wave Group Forcing of Low Frequency Surf Zone Motion.” American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Hamilton, R.P. Jr. and R.A. Dalrymple.  1994.  “Estimating Two-Dimensional Wave Spectra: Application of the Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Entropy Methods, CACR.” University of Delaware, Newark, DE.