(Todays CCTimes)
(I coulda saved them the dough
told them the same thing)
(And, I doubt they will do squat, cause of the constapation, er, conservation commisions in both towns)
February 17, 2006
Alarming rate of beach erosion
By JASON KOLNOS
STAFF WRITER
ORLEANS - Nauset Beach - a 10-mile sweep of beautiful and lucrative sandy shore - has eroded at an accelerated rate over the last nine years, consultants warned town officials this week.
The town paid the Woods Hole Group, an environmental and coastal engineering consulting firm, $25,000 to produce the report, the first study of the area since 1996.
The town beach parking area, for example, has an average shoreline and dune recession rate of 4.2 feet per year. The report suggests much of the coastal dune there will be eroded within 30 years.
Nauset is the town's crown jewel - the destination for more than 1.2 million visitors each year. The beach rakes in $1.2 million annually in revenue for Orleans.
The town sells about 5,200 off-road vehicle permits each year to those wanting access to a secluded swath south of the parking lot called the outer beach. Those fees alone bring in $500,000.
''But that pales in comparison to the economic boon Nauset is for dozens of businesses who rely on the people that go to that beach,'' said Parks and Beaches Superintendent Paul Fulcher.
The erosion was at its worst in 2004 and 2005, when several storms pummeled the region. One storm flattened the dunes to create an overwash at the Pochet area, south of the parking lot.
Approximately 1,100 feet of the off-road vehicle trail has been completely covered by the overwash. Access there during the weeks before and after spring tides and bad storms is nearly impossible, the report says.
''We've offered some management recommendations to protect and enhance the existing area,'' said Leslie Fields, a coastal geologist at the Woods Hole Group. Without action, Fields said, the town would be ''in a grave situation'' because access to popular spots will be limited.
Erosion is not just a problem for Orleans beaches.
Eastham officials toured several Cape Cod Bay beaches last month to brainstorm ideas to mitigate erosion that threatens parking spots at Sunken Meadow Beach and Campground Beach. And the Falmouth conservation commission will meet March 1 to discuss restoring storm-damaged Wood Neck Beach.
Orleans Selectman Mark Carron called the report ''sobering'' at Wednesday night's meeting. He asked Fulcher to create a list of priorities and costs to put into the capital plan.
Using historical maps, aerial photos and Geographical Information Systems mapping data, Woods Hole Group scientists analyzed shoreline patterns for several problem areas:
n Town Beach Parking Area
The town owns six properties in the 5-acre lot, including a snack bar and administration building. During periods of high water, flooding occurs in the lot's northern edge.
''Flooding in this area potentially limits or prevents vehicle access to the ORV trail, which services 45 cottages along southern Nauset Beach,'' the report states.
The report suggests the town relocate the buildings to less vulnerable inland locations within 15 years and look at acquiring off-site parcels for parking.
Town Administrator John Kelly said he spoke with Cape Cod National Seashore representatives this week to talk about the possibility of purchasing nearby federally owned properties.
Orleans should also use as much as 4,000 cubic yards of sand to restore the dune area at the northern edge of the parking lot, the report says.
That won't come cheap, however, since the group estimates the overall costs to get sand there could be as much as $20 per cubic yard.
n The ORV Trail
Woods Hole Group scientists suggest town officials use a mixture of sand and gravel to increase elevation and grade parts of the trail susceptible to flooding. They also urge the town to implement a program of dune rebuilding in the Pochet overwash area so unrestricted access to the ORV trail can be restored.
n Pochet area and Nauset Heights
Officials are worried that storm-induced erosion could cause an eventual breach in the barrier beach at Nauset Heights and Pochet Neck. Without the protective barrier beach, the coastal bank - dotted with expensive properties - could be exposed to ocean waves.
There is also great concern that the sands from the Pochet overwash threaten to close a nearby tidal creek system by migrating westward. That could negatively affect natural tidal flushing, causing the death of fishing resources and increased nitrogen levels.
Jason Kolnos can be reached at
jkolnos@capecodonline.com.
(Published: February 17, 2006)
I read that Karl
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