Storm Season in Massachusetts: Mitigating Coastal Erosion

Every year, Atlantic Hurricane Season starts at the beginning of June and continues until the end of November, which means we're currently in the thick of hurricane season. According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic Hurricane Season is experiencing an above-average, highly-active storm season for the seventh year in a row.

If you own property on a Massachusetts shoreline, you should be properly educated about storm season. Although it's another active year, even just one storm can severely impact coastal regions; however; there are also preventative measures you can take to mitigate coastal erosion and protect your property.

Here's what you need to know:

Cause and effects of coastal erosion

Although coastal erosion is natural and quite necessary to supply our beach and marsh systems with adequate amounts of sand, coastal erosion due to storm season can also damage your property, degrade upland plant and animal habitats, and result in the loss of land. This occurs because of flooding, very strong winds, and other weather related factors in addition to overall sea level rise.

How to mitigate coastal erosion

As previously stated, coastal erosion is a natural process, but when it happens in excess, it can pose harmful effects for ecological communities, natural resources, water supplies, and residential/commercial properties. We recommend following "soft" approaches, such as: re-vegetation, live staking, contour wattling, and bioengineered solutions including natural fiber blankets and coir rolls, all of which can be handled by our team of professionals at Crawford Land Management (CLM).

These methods are environmentally friendly as well as durable and compatible with functioning, living shorelines. Although "hard" approaches (defined as structural methods such as seawalls, rock revetments, and permanent bulkheads) are sometimes permissible options, they can have detrimental effects on the subject property and adjacent areas. "Hard" solutions can transfer wave energy to neighboring properties, increasing rates of erosion, as well as cut-off the natural sediment transport system. This can cause beaches to be ‘starved’ and transition from a sandy beach to a rocky shoreline. Salt marshes fronting hard solutions can also be impacted by the loss of sediment input to the system.

We recommend taking a "soft" approach over a "hard" approach for shoreline restoration because it supports a healthier coastal environment. At CLM, we are dedicated to implementing stabilization methods that imitate nature and benefit both your property and natural habitats.

For more information on how Crawford Land Management can help protect your property from coastal erosion contact us at 508.477.1346 or info@crawfordlm.com.