The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct work in waters of the United States from Duxbury Beach Reservation Inc. for proposed work in the Atlantic Ocean and Duxbury Bay at Duxbury Beach High Pines in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

The proposed work involves beach nourishment along 3.8 miles of the Duxbury Beach Reservation (DBR) property that will address current and future erosion along Duxbury Beach. Duxbury Beach is an important barrier beach that protects Duxbury Bay and the mainland shore from the direct effects of coastal storms and ocean waves. It also serves as the only means of overland access and emergency evacuation for the community at the southern end of the barrier which includes approximately 250 homes, some of which are year-round residences.

The goal of the proposed project is to respond to erosion of the barrier beach in a proactive way, rather than in response to storm events after significant erosion has occurred. The proposed project consists of oceanside beach and dune nourishment and building a bayside erosion control cobble berm.

The DBR applied for an Individual Permit because, although the project meets the requirements of a General Permit, the timeframe in which a General Permit would be valid is too short to meet the project goal. The Individual Permit would allow the DBR to complete beach nourishment projects of differing sizes, not to exceed 60,000 cubic yards in volume, on a proactive basis when funding and/or sediment sources become available.

USACE is soliciting comments from members of the public; federal, state and local agencies; American Indian Tribes; and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the impacts of this
proposed activity. The public notice with more detailed information is available for review on the District website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices, file # NAE-2021-01723. Public comments on this proposed work should be forwarded no later than Jan. 13, 2022 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Attn: Katelyn Rainville, Regulatory Division, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742 or by email to Katelyn.M.Rainville@usace.army.mil. Please reference file # NAE-2021-01723.