Salisbury homeowners want state to step in to protect homes following devastating winter storms
SALISBURY - Salisbury homeowners are asking the state to step in to protect their homes after yet another storm worsened beach erosion.
"This is the third year in a row that we have dealt with this," Patrick Foley explained as he showed WBZ his beachfront two-family home. The doors had been blown off by an incoming wave and the living rooms were covered in wet sand and soaked with saltwater. Blue painter's tape lined the windows, and the faint smell of wet paint filled the air. That paint was there to restore the damage from the previous storm - damage that would all have to be fixed yet again. "We've gotten hit every time," Foley said.
Residents pay thousands to repair dunes
He and his wife paid $16,000 to have sand brought in privately to create a dune in front of their house to protect it from another storm. This most recent April storm had washed at least half of the dune away, and the waves came over it into the home anyway.
It's a challenging situation for Salisbury homeowners, who have watched as beach erosion lately has caused some real damage and even threatened the structure of their homes. They've been asking the state to step in and shore up the beach so it can better protect their homes.
Whose job is it to fix the beach?
It's a highly complicated situation, however - and it's not clear whose job it is to fix the dunes on the beach.
The large majority of the beach is owned by the state and managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. "Most of the storm damage that has washed away large amounts of sand in Salisbury has occurred on state-owned property," Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington explained to WBZ. "However, the overall dune system straddles both public and private property. So, when large quantities of beach sand wash away from the public portion of the beach, there is nothing to protect the private property from major storms, most of which hit in the wintertime and early spring."
As a result of this issue, many private homeowners have started paying to have sand moved in front of their houses.
Harrington said the town is working with state officials to find a solution for the short and long-term. However, "the winter storms are the worst ones, and the ongoing damage is frustrating local property owners," he explained. "In the past, such storms were few and far between. Now they are happening with much greater frequency."
In a statement to WBZ, a DCR spokesperson said, "The Healey-Driscoll Administration is monitoring the situation at Salisbury Beach and remains in regular communication with representatives from the Town, the legislative delegation and the community and will continue to work with them to address the impacts of erosion and climate change at the Beach."
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr weighed in on the issue, too. "Contrary to initial reports, a large portion of the sand deployed by local residents in March remains in the beach's littoral system, and it once again provided valuable protection during this storm," he said. "That sand, however, is sacrificial and continues to erode from the coastal dune." He explained that he is working with state and local leaders to find a solution.
For homeowners, that solution can't come fast enough. "It's been an emotional journey," one woman told WBZ.