North Water Street Beach Resiliency
The Wareham Land Trust's North Water Street Beach property consists of approximately 1.2 acres of land in a thin strip along the eastern shoreline of Broad Cove, a sub-embayment of Onset Bay at the head of Buzzards Bay. Since 2003, the Wareham Land Trust has conserved this property and maintained it for public access. A key feature of this property is a 1,500 ft concrete seawall running the length of the property, separating the beach from the adjacent North Water and Cove Streets.
Over the last two decades, the seawall has deteriorated, leading to a complete collapse in some locations. The deterioration threatens the stability of the coastal bank and the health of the adjacent coastal beach and salt marsh, and it puts the entire North Water Street neighborhood in a vulnerable position.
To remedy this problem, the Wareham Land Trust has initiated a feasibility study for seawall alternatives led by Woods Hole Group with funding from the state office of Coastal Zone Management. This meeting will be the first of two public meetings on the subject. A second meeting in June will discuss possible alternatives for the structure.
Although relatively small in acreage, due to its unique configuration, the property consists of more than 1,500 linear feet of shoreline from Onset Avenue in the south to Broad Street in the northwest. Along much of its length, the property contains a thin strip of upland along North Water Street and Cove Street, protected by a vertical concrete seawall and an intertidal beach with sections of salt marsh. Due to the low elevation of the beach, there are only a few small pockets of dry beach at high tide.
This property borders a dense residential neighborhood, providing the first buffer for more than 100 homes from erosion and flooding. The main utility lines for these residences run along and/or under North Water Street and Cove Street, including water, sewer, stormwater, and electricity; Cove Street and much of North Water Street are already narrow one-way roads. It is so essential for the stakeholders of this beach to be heard. If you go to this beach or are a neighbor or community resident interested in the future of this area, please join us at the public information meetings.
Our First stakeholder meeting was held on March 13th, the slides from the meeting can be found here: WLT_Stakeholder_Meeting_#1_Slides_