After Hurricane Sandy, the Town of Narragansett ordered 5,365 cubic yards of sand, spending nearly $170,000, to replenish its town beach. Now, the town is considering a scientific partnership with the University of Rhode Island that will monitor sand erosion on the beach and help the town better plan for the seasonal storm cycle fallout.
…The project was proposed by URI Graduate School of Oceanography professor John King, who is currently conducting a similar survey for the Town of Narragansett at its wastewater treatment facility on Ocean Road.
“This is going to give us documentation on where our beach stands today,” said Wright. “As the professor told me, we don’t have to spend $20,000 annually. But what we have to do is start somewhere and have a baseline. Because when–not if–when we get another Sandy, this is going to help us tremendously with FEMA. When we go for federal funding, we’ll have this documentation of where our beach was. If we do this every four to five years, it’s invaluable for our biggest asset here in town.”
URI looks to study sand erosion in Narragansett
