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Laconia Daily Sun

Paths to restoring & then preserving Weirs Beach outlined

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Published Date Thursday, 30 April 2015 10:57

LACONIA — With funds to restore Weirs Beach included in the 2016 budget proposed by City Manager Scott Myers, Kevin Dunleavy, director of Parks and Recreation, briefed the City Council on Monday on the recommendations of the Woods Hole Group, Inc. of East Falmouth, Massachusetts for managing the erosion shrinking the beach.
Under contract with the city, The Woods Hole Group began studying the migration of sand at the beach in 2011 and the next year reported that each year approximately 1,200 cubic yards of sand — enough to fill 182 city dump trucks — is swept by wind and water from Weirs Beach into Lake Winnipesaukee and the Weirs Channel. The data collected indicated that some 600 cubic yards of sand was blown from beach by wind, another 500 cubic yards was lost to the action of waves and nearly 100 cubic yards was carried away by stormwater.
In its final report issued in February the Woods Hole Group recommends a number of complementary measures to mitigate the erosion and stabilize the beach. First and foremost, the report calls for "nourishing" the beach with between 7,300 and 9,000 cubic yards of additional sand, which would increase the width of the beach by 60 to 75 feet,
The report proposes supplementing the addition of sand with steps to keep it in place. First, installing sand fencing parallel to the jetty at the eastern edge of the beach would capture sand that would otherwise be swept into the channel. The fencing could trap as much as 600 cubic yards of sand a year, which is equivalent to the annual loss of sand to the wind. Fencing would be accompanied by what the report calls "manual backpassing," or returning the sand captured at the eastern edge of the beach to the western end of the beach every two or three years. Finally, adding 20 feet to the jetty, which reaches about 100 feet into the lake, would significantly reduce the amount of sand carried around the jetty and into the channel.
Finally, the report suggests erecting two adjustable groins, extending our into the lake to stabilize the replenished sand, would extend the life of the restored beach. The authors of the report estimate that after five years only half the additional sand would remain without the groins compared to three-quarters of the additional sand with the groins. After 25 years only a quarter of the additional sand would remain without the groins compared to nearly half with them.
The estimated cost of the measures ranges from $438,000 to $576,000, with the cost of adding sand to beach representing the largest single cost at $200,000 to $300,000. Dunleavy said that estimates include the cost of permitting, engineering and construction.
Dunleavy explained that sand added to the beach must be treated and washed to eliminate phosphorus, an unwanted nutrient that impairs water quality, which increases the cost. He suggested the fencing could be installed this spring or summer, very likely for much less than the $8,000 to $9,000 estimated.
Myers has recommended borrowing $300,000 for the engineering and construction phases of the project. Finance director Donna Woodaman said that $40,000 appropriated for the project in 2014 but not expended has been carried forward and the city's share of revenue from parking fees at Weirs Beach amounts to another $42,000. Finally, a fund accrued from beach passes designated for the maintenance of the city's beaches has a balance of about $36,000.
Councilor Brenda Baer (Ward 4) remarked "it's a lot of money," but quickly added that she is "all in favor of revitalizing The Weirs." The council will likely next consider the project when it reviews the 2016 budget.

Now if they could just get people to stop burying dirty diapers in the sand.......