From the Falmouth Enterprise · November 23, 2023 · By Gilda Geist
The barrier spit at the western end of Washburn Island has moved about 70 feet north between 2009 and 2021, squeezing the Eel River channel, speeding currents to as much as six knots, eroding beaches to the west and damaging nearby marsh vegetation. A 2022 town-commissioned study compared doing nothing, dredging, hard structures and shortening the spit, and favored removing roughly 300 feet from its tip. The conservation commission and waterways committee both endorsed that approach in fall 2023.
Hurdles include state ownership of the island, which is managed with the Waquoit Bay reserve, nesting piping plovers, long permitting timelines and the need for repeat dredging. The town planned to seek a state coastal grant for engineering and permitting, estimated at about $200,000, with a 25 percent local match.
This is CPWB’s summary of a news article. The full article and its photos are published by the Falmouth Enterprise.
Drafted with AI assistance from the linked source.
