By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News staff
There’s planning for
climate change and then there’s reality. In Rhode Island, at least, the two are
sometimes on different paths.
Some 3,000 truckloads
of sand are on order for restoring Misquamicut State Beach from the lashing the
Westerly coastline took during Superstorm Sandy, an act the state’s top coastal
planner called “crazy.”
“It will probably
disappear as quickly as they put it on,” said Grover Fugate, executive director
of the state Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC).
The CRMC will make
sure the project complies with the state’s coastal rules, but it did tell the
Army Corps of Engineers that it preferred sand from nearby Winnapaug Pond be
used instead of 90,000 cubic yards of trucked-in sand. Winnapaug Pond is due
for dredging and the new sand will likely amass there once it washes from the
beach, Fugate said.
“Clearly, the CRMC is
correct that it’s a short-term fix — and an expensive one at that,” said
Melville Coté, manager of the Ocean and Coastal Protection Unit for the
Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Region.
The Army Corps of
Engineers isn’t revealing the cost, but Coté noted that addressing beach
erosion in densely built areas is a significant long-term problem. CRMC is
addressing the beach issue through its Shoreline
Special Area Management Plan (Beach SAMP). The multi-year study
seeks to create policy solutions to address the impacts of climate change, such
as sea-level rise and erosion.
Coté praised the
project for being unlike any other in the country. Yet, the Beach SAMP, he
said, faces a big challenge in trying to address crowded beach communities in
places such as Westerly and Matunuck in South Kingstown.
The preferred option
is relocating people and property, he said. “It’s best to get people out of
harm’s way.” But that's not always realistic and disputes arise relating to
property rights, conservation, jurisdiction and money, he said.
The CRMC is trying to
address these concerns through public workshops. At the Nov. 25 forum, Margaret
Davidson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said
climate-change work will have to be done by planners at the state and local
level, specifically municipal planners. Preparations should happen as soon as
possible while there is still funding available from the federal government and
other outside sources.
“If you don’t plan for
it, those that plan for it will siphon up all the money,” Davidson said.
The other speaker, Jon
Reiner, director of planning for North Kingstown, emphasized that the public
must participate in workshops and town/city council meetings to be sure that
long-term planning gets done.
North Kingstown has
one of the most proactive land-use plans in the state, and is actively engaging
in planning for sea-level rise in Wickford Village. Yet, Reiner noted that he
must continually remind and inform the public, as well as the town Planning
Board, about the benefits of addressing climate change. Misleading media
reports and short-term memories about recent storms like Sandy and Irene slow
the process, he said.
“We constantly have to
talk to people and teach them,” Reiner said. “We have to show them the science
and (to) pay a little now and save later.”
Westerly Town Council
member Caswell Cooke Jr. said in a perfect world it would be best to let nature
run its course and not have to seek beach renourishment, but there are jobs,
private property and businesses to consider. He agreed that it would also be
preferable to repair the beach with sand from Winnapaug Pond, but the dredging
is at least a year away and the funds are being offered now to fix a
long-overdue problem, as the beach hasn't been rebuilt since it was first
developed more than 50 years ago.
Fugate noted the
inconsistencies in trying to taking steps to address climate-change impacts.
The recent federal flood insurance maps don’t take into account sea-level rise
and the expected higher storm surges, a problem that may make it harder to
protect threatened historic areas such as Thames Street in Newport.
“We can either plan
now or we can let nature plan for us,” he said.
All of the experts
agreed that money for planning is dwindling. “While the awareness for the
programs is growing, the funding is shrinking and that is a big problem,"
Coté said.
The next public
discussion on the Beach
SAMP is scheduled for Dec. 9 at the URI Bay Campus in
Narragansett.