On Plum Island, 'imminent threat' of ocean breakthrough

By Victor Tine
Staff writer

Sat, May 17 2008

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PLUM ISLAND — It's the direst warning yet. Plans are underway to restrict access to parts of the beach after Newbury police Chief Michael Reilly described eroded areas around Plum Island Center as an "imminent threat to public safety."

Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Protection has warned the town to stop depositing sand at the Center.

At Reilly's urging, the Board of Selectmen voted to issue a Local Declaration of Emergency for the beach, a move that alerts the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to the potential peril of the 10-foot sheer banks caused by erosion.

"... There is a strong likelihood that during the next coastal storm the erosion will undermine the remaining dunes to the point of breaking through Plum Island Center or any of the northern adjacent properties," Reilly wrote in the letter to selectmen. "All structures in this vicinity are in imminent danger, as well as the infrastructure (streets, water and sewer). As Northern Boulevard and Plum Island Boulevard are lower than the dunes, any breach in the dunes will wash both of these roads out. Should this happen, Plum Island will be inaccessible — making emergency response and evacuation impossible."

Reilly said if someone were injured in the vicinity of the Center it would be difficult to get rescue vehicles to a victim.

Newbury officials met at Plum Island Taxpayers and Associates Hall yesterday to map strategy for dealing with the immediate erosion problem.

Reilly said the most damaged part of the beach, where people should be prohibited, is a relatively small piece of the island shorefront. He said he hoped people would cooperate and use the safe sections of the beach, especially south of the Center.

"I hate to restrict access to a public beach," he said. "It's a last resort, but it's a dangerous situation."

PITA President Ron Barrett said the restricted areas should be fenced off, with the fence set up in a way to channel foot traffic away from the hazardous zones. Rights of way to unsafe portions of the beach should be blocked off, he said, and special beach mats should be placed at safe entry points.

Barrett said one of the mats could be laid down on the right-of-way across Northern Boulevard from Mad Martha's Cafe, between 16th and 18th streets.

Conservation Agent Douglas Packer said mats should also be placed at Harvard Way and Dartmouth Way, south of the Center, where the beach is healthy.

Snow fencing will be placed at the base of what is left of the dunes to prevent people from climbing them.

Beach erosion on the island, especially at the Center, has become a more serious problem recently. Storms and tides have worn away dunes to the point that several buildings are close to the edge.

The town two weeks ago placed about 3,000 cubic yards of sifted sand at the Center to try to bolster the shoreline.

Packer said he received a letter from the state DEP last week, rescinding the local emergency certification for placement of the sand. He said the letter warned that any further sand deposits would be considered a violation of DEP regulations but that no specific sanctions were mentioned.

Packer Tuesday night told selectmen that some DEP officials retained "hostile attitudes" left over from some disputes during the Plum Island water and sewer project.

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