USACE proposes beach nourishment of Town Neck Beach in Sandwich

CONCORD, Mass. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is proposing a Section 111 Shore Damage Mitigation Study for beach nourishment of Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts, that has eroded as a result of the Cape Cod Canal Federal Navigation Project (FNP) jetties at the east entrance of the Canal. The work is authorized by Section 111 of the River and Harbor Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-483), as amended.The purpose of the proposed project consists of the construction of an engineered beach at Town Neck Beach. This would be accomplished using approximately 388,000 cubic yards of beach compatible material that would be dredged, pumped and graded onto Town Neck Beach from a nearshore borrow site adjacent to Scusset Beach.

Sediment starvation of the littoral system downdrift of the Cape Cod Canal FNP jetties has resulted in extensive and worsening erosion of the existing beach, which has subsequently and significantly compromised public and private property and infrastructure in the town of Sandwich. Significant loss of the beach and damage to shorefront structures has occurred in recent years, and if the conditions are left unaddressed, those impacts to the community would increase. The recommended plan would restore a barrier beach and dune system to provide protection for the area, and it would reintroduce a substantial amount of material to the impacted littoral system downdrift of the jetties.

The proposed work is being coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife – Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, the Town of Sandwich and the Sandwich Historical Commission, and the Mashpee Wampanoag and Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Native American tribes.

The public notice, with more detailed information, is available for review on the District website at: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/Topics/Cape-Cod-Canal-Section-111/0000-Cape-Cod-Canal-111-Public-Notice.pdf

Public comments on this proposed work should be forwarded no later than April 3, 2021, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Planning Division (ATTN: Michael Riccio), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751; or emailed to Michael.S.Riccio@usace.army.mil.

All U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District news releases are available online at: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/