Posted on March 16, 2022
SALISBURY — The first step in potentially making the mouth of the Merrimack River more boater-friendly was taken Monday night when selectmen decided to enter an agreement with Newburyport.
The town has been working with Newburyport, Newbury, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Merrimack River Beach Alliance to place 220,000 to 300,000 cubic yards of dredged sand either on, or just offshore, the beaches of the three communities.
The federal government set aside $19 million for the dredging, which involves removing sand from the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers.
Sand from the Piscataqua River, between New Hampshire and Maine, would be deposited off Salisbury Beach while Merrimack River sand would be used to rebuild Plum Island’s Reservation Terrace.
Town Manager Neil Harrington told selectmen during their meeting Monday night at Town Hall that the Salisbury and Newburyport harbormasters believe the Merrimack should be dredged just outside the channel between the northwestern side and the Salisbury Beach State Reservation breakwater.
“A lot of the boaters will utilize this area when they are returning and trying to come upriver, staying on the righthand side,” Harrington said. “Occasionally, they hit the sand.”
The proposed project would, however, fall outside the purview of the Army Corps of Engineers project.
Newburyport has asked that Salisbury share the cost of permitting and dredging for the project, Harrington said. But an agreement between the two municipalities would need to be drawn up to accomplish that goal.
Since KP Law is the legal counsel for both communities, the firm would be responsible for drafting the intermunicipal agreement.
“We might be able to get this project as an amendment to the Army Corps of Engineers project if we can get it permitted in time,” Harrington said.
Harrington told selectmen that the project should cost under $100,000, most of which could come from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
“It’s not that much,” he said.
Selectman Wilma McDonald suggested that the Newburyport and Salisbury harbor commissions share some of the cost since the project would help local boaters.
Harrington encouraged selectmen to vote in favor of joint representation and the board voted 4-0 to do so Monday. Selectman Freeman Condon was not present.
