Salisbury leaders announce $6 million plan to fight beach erosion

State Sen. Bruce Tarr said at a press conference Monday that Salisbury Beach now faces an increased threat of severe overwash and erosion, proposing a $6 million two-phase plan to stop further damage, according to a local report. 

Tarr, his environmental consultant Tom Hughes, and Salisbury town manager Neil Harrington warned of severe overwash risk on the beach, calling it a “new threat” for residents along the waterfront. Overwash occurs when waves exceed the height of a dune during coastal storms, transporting sand and other sediments inland. 

“The damage will be exponentially worse than what we’ve seen so far,” Tarr said, the Daily News of Newburyport reported. “This area of the beach is extremely vulnerable and it compels our action.”

Residents with beachfront homes on Salisbury Beach have recently faced increased problems with coastal erosion, though it has been a problem for several years. Last month, residents paid $600,000 to install 15,000 tons of protective sand dunes on the beach, only for them to wash away during one day’s storm. 

Hughes said at the press conference that until last fall, all of the dunes on the beach rose above 15 feet in sea level, according to the Daily News. Now, there is a 1,200-foot stretch of the beach that is in the 13- to -14-foot range, significantly below the 15-foot overwash level. 

Plan to fix erosion would cost $6 million

The first phase of Hughes and Tarr’s proposed plan would see the restoration of sand dunes to an elevation of 17 feet above sea level, the Daily News reported. Phase two would bring dune elevation up to 19 feet and extend the volume further toward the water. 

The project would cost $6 million, the Daily News reported. While the first phase of the project would be relatively easy, the second part would require “more significant permitting,” Hughes said.

The funding would come in part from the state’s Salisbury Beach Preservation Trust Fund, Tarr said at the conference, according to the Daily News. 

“That’s in the near term, and in the long term we hope to cobble together the resources to have a sustainable beach,” Tarr said, the Daily News reported. 

“And again, our federal partners have identified some very promising sources,” Tarr added, noting that he has had conversations with Gov. Maura Healey. 

Tarr said that the project would require partnership with various parties, including state and federal legislators, state offices, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Environmental Protection, among others. 

“We cannot address this situation properly without everyone being at the table, and we think that we have set the stage with all the work that’s been done and all that you’ve heard today for us to have a productive path and one that will avoid significant damage,” Tarr said, the Daily News reported.