Matunuck area cleanup emergency meeting

[Bill L]

anyone make it to the meeting?

I did attend the meeting, which was organized by the Surfrider Foundation. I dont surf, I attended as a concerned resident and member of Narr. Surfcasters. The following is my observation and opinion only.

There were many people there, I would guess mostly surfriders. Others included the SK Town planner, a rep from Audobon, and Dr. Boothrody and RIR from the URI geology dept.

There was some very good dialogue regarding the situation. As with any group, there was a variety of opinions. Many are outraged at the amount of debris that has washed ashore, and are concerned that the dredge material is not "clean" and affecting the environment.

As a background for those not familiar, the spoils from the dredging of the channels at the mouth of Salt Pond at the Harbor of Refuge, including the area in the vicinity of the commercial docks in Galilee, are being dregded by the Army Corps. This dredging was last performed some thirty years ago.

As part of the permitting process, the ultimate destination of the spoils had to be determined. Based upon chemical testing of core samples in the dredge area, the spoils were determined to be free of chemical contaminants that would harm marine life, and were suitable for offshore disposal (which is magnitudes of order cheaper than land disposal).

Matunuck has undergone severe erosion in the recent years, and the sand was considered possible beneficial use for beach restoration. This was slighly more expensive than the deep water disposal site, but the locals lobbied for the beneficial use, and it was approved. It is being deposited in about 15 feet of water, with the hope that on shore migration will occur to replenish sand that has been lost.

What was not fully anticipated was the amount of trash that was mixed with the dredge spoils, and which has been washing ashore since the dreding began in late December. This trash has presumably come from 30 years of commercial use, and was likely mostly ffrom the spoils in the immediate vicinity of the commercial docks.

The dredge contractor supposedly has cleaning of the shorline as part of their contract. This may be true, but in my opinon the amount of area and the nature of the trash will require much more effort than will be expended by them. I can see them picking up the big items like tires, boots, etc., but some areas are littered with small pieces of plastic, cans, rope, lobster claw bans, etc. that require hand picking.

My daughter and I spent four hours last Sunday cleaning about 400 feet of shore, half of this on our hands and knees picking the small stuff. Some people are of the opinon that "they're supposed to do it, why give them a hand?" I dont trust the contractor to put this level of care in, and its a huge problem that will need many people to help solve.