CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is proposing to undertake emergency shoreline protection by constructing a mixed sediment revetment (berm) in front of a 300-foot section of seawall in the Brant Rock/Hewitt’s Point section of Marshfield, Mass. The purpose of the proposed project is to prevent further beach scour and protect the Brant Rock seawall so that it continues to provide protection for the backshore properties of Brant Rock and its associated roads and public infrastructure.

Marshfield has 5 miles of public seashore and the back shore areas from Brant Rock north through Fieldston, which is protected by a concrete seawall and/or riprap between seawall sections in Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock. Seasonal storm driven waves from the east are responsible for the removal of sand in front of the seawall and the consequent lowering of the beach along Marshfield’s shoreline. The lowering of the beach exposes the seawall’s toe and leads to undermining and failure of the wall.

“Flooding due to wave splash over the seawall in the Brant Rock area backs up septic tanks, inundates the back shore Esplanade area, and damages dwellings and other properties two or three times per year,” said Project Manager Robert Russo, with the Corps’ New England District Planning Division, headquartered in Concord, Mass. The Esplanade floods to a depth of up to two feet, affecting some 38 homes and retail businesses at the southern end of the peninsula. The existing seawall is the only coastal back shore protection for the Brant Rock study area, therefore protection of the Brant Rock seawall is needed.

Protecting the seawall’s toe would ensure the wall does not fail in the future and continues to provide protection for the backshore properties of Brant Rock and its associated roads and other public infrastructure. The proposed project to prevent further beach scour consists of the construction of a cobble/sand revetment (berm) along the seawall beginning near Franklin Street and extending approximately 300 feet to the south. Approximately every five years the town will need to maintain the revetment by replacing lost sand gravel and cobble fill.

Section 14 of the 1946 Flood Control Act (as amended) provides authority for the Corps of Engineers to participate in the planning and construction of streambank and shoreline erosion control projects in situations where public facilities are in imminent threat of damage or failure by natural erosion processes on streambanks and shorelines, and are essential enough to merit Federal participation in their protection.

The proposed work is being coordinated with: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine Fisheries Service; Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection; Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game; Office of Coastal Zone Management; Massachusetts Historical Commission; Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah); and town of Marshfield Town Planner and Department of Public Works.

The public notice, with more detailed information, is available for review on the Corps website at

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Public-Notices/. A draft Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment for this work is available for review upon request.

Public comments on this proposed emergency shoreline protection project should be forwarded no later than Aug. 3, 2017 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Planning Division (ATTN: Mr. Robert Russo), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751 or by email to robert.s.russo@usace.army.mil.