On the edge
Plum Islanders say erosion puts houses at risk
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Globe Staff / March 28, 2008
NEWBURY - Mother Nature's give and take of sand has been more take in recent years on the shore of Plum Island, residents say, setting the stage for a major breach that could let vast amounts of ocean slip over eroded dunes, flood the northern tip of the island, and cut off access to hundreds of houses.
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While state officials say they are working with town officials to address the problem, local leaders and residents accuse the state of dragging its feet on the emergency request to add sand to the area. Island officials and residents are worried. A major storm, they say, could cause a significant breach, threaten or strand about 750 houses, and cost untold sums to repair.
"There is an imminency of potential disaster," Selectman Vincent Russo said yesterday at Newbury Town Hall. "If we have a strong spring storm with northeast prevailing winds, it could cause a situation where the ocean will run into Northern Boulevard and the Plum Island Turnpike. Our hope is that none of the sewage pipes will get ruptured," he said, referring to the island's $30 million water and sewage system that was started in 2004 and should be completed this fall.
Russo, who lives on the island, said he noticed substantial erosion beginning in 2002. "Rocks that had been buried in sand for more than 30 years were suddenly exposed," he said. Russo said he wrote a letter to state Senator Bruce E. Tarr in February, warning that Plum Island Center was in jeopardy and that Jeanne's Restaurant and several houses were in danger of being washed out to sea.
At Tarr's request, representatives from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency traveled to Newbury Monday and surveyed the area, especially a spot near Fifth Street, where the most dramatic erosion occurred. Those officials advised the town to make a declaration of local emergency, and by Tuesday, the town's police chief, Michael Reilly, was advising residents of the situation and making emergency evacuation plans.
Earlier this month, Conservation Agent Douglas Packer, visited the beach and noticed that Jeanne's Restaurant was on the brink of the ocean, Russo said. The owner of the restaurant, Julien Geiger, paid $6,000 for about 3,000 cubic yards of sand to be deposited in front of his property. The town put up an additional $3,000 for the project conducted from March 13 to 15, but by the 16th, the ocean had taken all that sand.
"That was sacrificial sand," Russo said. "If it hadn't been there, the restaurant would have washed away, and we could have had a larger problem on our hands."
He said the Department of Environmental Protection was not pleased with Packer's decision to put the sand down. "Douglas got his fingers slapped by the DEP. They didn't see it as an emergency."
Several residents of Plum Island hinted yesterday at a sour relationship between the DEP and residents, left over from disputes over the island's water and sewage project. The DEP required the town to build the system, Russo said, and some residents contended that sewage-related problems would tarnish the island's ecosystem.
Now residents say the DEP isn't acting swiftly enough to address the erosion problem.
"Something has to be done; the DEP has to come around," said Ron Barrett, president of Plum Island Taxpayers and Associates, a neighborhood group.
Joe Ferson, spokesman for the DEP, said little yesterday. "We've been working with the town to identify long-term solutions to mitigate the problem." he said, adding that Jeanne's Restaurant, a seasonal gathering spot, was "not in imminent danger of collapse."
Russo said longer term solutions include dredging sand from the mouth of the Merrimack River and depositing it at the areas where it is most needed. He said that in the short term, the town is in desperate need of sand to shore up the area near the restaurant. "We need a lot of sand, to put into large sacks that a VW could fit into," he said.
Geri Buzzotta, whose house appears most threatened by erosion, says she doesn't want to leave. She shares the large beach house at 16 Northern Blvd., with Oliver, a long-haired Chihuahua. Large dunes were washed away last year, and her patio was leveled. She rebuilt, but yesterday there were only several precious yards of dunes in front of her house. Beyond that, a cliff leads to a narrow beach.
"I've been here for 42 years," said Buzzotta, 78. "My husband died a year ago. He put so much work into this place, and it's all I have left of him."
