Posted on January 16, 2018
By Jack Shea, Newburyport News
The clock is ticking for Plum Island’s ever-eroding dunes, and with recent storms wiping away heaps of sand, nearby residents and city officials are considering options for both short and long-term solutions.
But with no set plans in place, and an apparent lack of funding to support dune-related projects, some residents are concerned about the potential consequences.
“I think if we have another storm like the one we had last week, the water will be in the streets on Reservation Terrace,” said Plum Island Vernon Ellis, who said recent storms have had a detrimental effect on the amount of sand visible from his home on the corner of Reservation Terrace and 77th Street.
“I know things ebb and flow. It’s the natural process for barrier islands, but the jetty has shut off the flow of the sand and there’s no ability for it to replenish,” said Ellis. “So it’s like, how do we stop this from turning into catastrophe?”
The ideal solution, Ellis said, would be to have sand dredged from the Merrimack River placed on nearby beaches to rebuild the dunes. But with city and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation funds in short supply, Ellis said he and his neighbors are also hoping for “Scotch tape and bubble gum” fixes to nourish the dunes, such as sowing dune grass to help hold them in place.
City and state officials are working on a dredging project in the Piscataqua River, but the sand would be incompatible with the dunes on Plum Island.
Mayor Donna Holaday on Friday acknowledged the high cost of dredging projects, and noted that while city and state officials are working on a solution for Reservation Terrace, getting the money to pay for a project can be a long, frustrating process.
“What really would be helpful for Newburyport is another dredge up the Merrimack River, because that is compatible sand, and it could be put right on Reservation Terrace,” said Holaday. “These projects cost a lot of money, so it’s about thinking about what we’ve done, what we can do, putting some short-term measures in place, and advocating for the bigger dredge projects.”
Holaday said city officials are working on putting together a timeline of everything that has already been done to deal with the receding dunes, which includes directing foot traffic by mapping out appropriate paths and introducing Mobi Mats over the summer. She said she hopes to continue working with state Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives, D-Newburyport, and state Rep. Jim Kelcourse, R-Amesbury, to discuss the future of the dredging project.
Meanwhile, Ellis said he hopes to collaborate with the Merrimack River Beach Alliance in coming up with a solution, with a goal of bringing the city, DCR and residents together to chip in funds toward short-term dune nourishment.
Holaday said officials are also considering implementing increased parking costs to generate money for dune nourishment, as is done on the state reservation in Salisbury.
“We need to start building up some revenue stream to be able to address these concerns out on Plum Island,” said Holaday. “It’s important that we get out there to address these issues sooner rather than later, and it’s a hard ask. We’ll just have to be really strong advocates.”
Source: Newburyport News
