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Saturday, June 25, 2016

Battling Bluff Erosion, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



Many/most of the property owners along the bluff in Manomet have paid big bucks to have stone seawalls erected along the base to help reduce erosion from storms and tides. It fascinates me to realize that each of these huge, heavy stones was carefully placed by the heavy equipment operator delicately selecting, orienting, and then placing the stones.



But for all that effort and cost, nature is always more powerful than heavy stones. As high tides literally suck the sand out from behind the seawall, eventually it collapses and the sand slides down. The trees at the top of this eroded bluff will topple in coming years.  A coastal bluff is a living thing subject to the ebb and flow of tide and sub-surface water in the bluff.



Even these huge purple stones that served as a stairway to the beach path were moved out of position over this past winter.



The dynamics of beach erosion have led to an array of different types of stairs.  Some install wood and have to replace it often.  Some install metal and pull it up every winter. It is my totally subjective and unscientific opinion that the above style of metal stair (welded aluminum) is the best (and probably the most expensive).  It is maneuverable by a few humans for pulling up in the winter, it looks goods, and it lasts a long time.


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