Posted on August 15, 2025
CHARLESTOWN — Last Thursday at a community presentation it was announced that funding for the Charlestown Breachway restoration project has come in, and what the plans entail for the next steps of the process.
Over the past year-and-a-half, Charlestown GIS Coordinator Steve McCandless has been working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the governor’s office, and the Coastal Resources Management Council to put together a design and figure out the status of the costs.
“We were able to get $2 million for the dredging portion of the project. The dredging material from the inside of the pond will go out on the beach, and the majority of it will go back to the restoration of the beach, and back barrier areas that we’ve got planned,” McCandless said. “We were able to get $5 million to put into the budget for the stonework and the restoration of the dunes from RIDEM, which was placed into the CRMC’s budget.”
In addition to the $2 million from CRMC for the dredge and $5 million from the RIDEM state budget through CRMC, McCandless also noted they were able to acquire $1.4 million from Charlestown that is set aside to fill in any additional funding “where needed.”
Another important topic that was discussed was permitting and design concerns, with CRMC Coastal Geologist Emily Hall addressing the community members. The first item was the Ebb Delta, where the waves break outside of the breachway, which has improved in depth and is in better condition than last year. The Charlestown Police Department has recommended routes available online that are updated frequently for boaters.
The barrier is also accumulating, which is an indication that the repair work that was done in October after the initial break is working. Additionally, Army Corps permitting is set, and CRMC/RIDEM permits are very close to completion and approval.
“So far, our Band-Aid is working, and it gives us a lot of confidence that the whole project is going to continue to see growth in the dunes and growth in the beaches,” Hall said. “The breachway was originally built in the 1930s, in its present form, so it held 80, 90 years, so we’re hoping this is going to hold probably 70 to 80 years as well.”
The rocks used in the stonework will be about 8 feet high across the entire area, based on the elevation number of expected sea levels in the next 50 years. Hall also walked through the final design and the scope of the work. It includes repairing the temporary stabilization point and move inland, raising the jetty up to 9 feet with armor stones, resetting the core stones and rebuilding them up to 6 feet, and building the beach and dunes up with dredged sediment from the pond.
The presentation also offered a rough timeline of activity so far and what will happen in the future. As of right now, those steps entail reviewing the permitting consultation and, within the next few weeks, all of the necessary permits will likely be in hand.
If everything goes according to plan, the preparation work can start as early as Sept. 15. After the campground closes on Nov. 1, the idea is construction can begin during that time. From December to January, the stonework will be completed and the dredging operation will take place in January and February. In March the dune restoration will also begin. The beach will be closed from April to September for the endangered plovers, and the planting restoration will be finished by fall of 2026.
“We have the money and the plans look good,” Hall said. “This is truly bringing everything up to grade, and up to the way that hopefully it’ll function for decades to come.”
The presentation, hosted by the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, the Salt Ponds Coalition, CRMC, the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, RIDEM, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is part of an effort to increase community engagement with the updates of the breachway and allow meaningful public feedback.
In the community outreach efforts, it was found that 84% of users were somewhat or very concerned about the long term climate impacts and 85% believe coastal erosion is negatively affecting the enjoyment of Charlestown. Only 19% of users ranked that economic interests are the most important to influence the support of policies about coastal resilience, but most importantly, 45% of users do not feel informed or engaged in current town planning and management decisions.
“We did a variety of social science outreach focus groups and surveys done by URI,” Coastal Resilience Specialist with Rhode Island Sea Grant Casey Temper said. “A lot of users were very concerned about coastal erosion in general in Charlestown, especially the breachway, in making sure that it is supported moving forward, and 45% of users at the very beginning did not feel engaged, so hopefully these presentations have been starting to help you feel a bit more engaged.”
Another form of community engagement that has been implemented is something called a “CoastSnap.” It is a post with a cradle on it for a mobile phone and faces the breachway where the restoration project will be commencing, allowing visitors to place their phone and take pictures, which will then be uploaded to a website showing the updates as time passes.
“This is one of the ways that we are hoping to keep people involved as the restoration goes, and over the years as the dunes start to grow,” Temper added.
