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CRMC, officials celebrate Allin’s Cove restoration project
November 3 , 2005, BARRINGTON — The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, members of the U.S. Senate and Congress, local legislators, town officials and neighborhood groups celebrated the start of work on the Allin’s Cove Coastal Wetland Restoration Project with a groundbreaking ceremony this week.
To recognize the commencement of the project, Senators Jack Reed and Lincoln Chafee, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Ken McKay, Governor Donald Carcieri’s chief of staff, Representatives Jan Malik and Susan Story, Senator David Bates, Army Corps Colonel Curtis Thalken, Barrington Town Manager Peter DeAngelis and CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian took part in a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Oct. 31 at the cove.
“This project has been almost five years in the making, and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, along with the US Army Corps of Engineers, is eager to get to work on restoring the marsh, creating a wider beach area for residents to enjoy, mitigating erosion and improving the water flow through the cove,” Tikoian said at the ceremony. “This project is a testament to the hard work from local, state and federal officials who made this restoration possible. The CRMC is eager to restore this natural habitat and beach to its original splendor, so that all Barrington residents can enjoy it for generations to come.”
Allin’s Cove is an approximately 21-acre region of Narragansett Bay estuary. Salt marsh, mud flats and sub-tidal areas in Allin’s Cove were impacted in 1959 by the disposal of dredged material from the Bullock Cove Navigation project into the southern end of the cove. The project aims to restore salt marsh to the cove in the affected area and address the erosion along the western edge of the cove at Byway Road and adjacent marsh land.
Senator Reed said, “Hurricane Katrina vividly illustrated to the world the value of estuaries to our coastal communities as a natural defense against storms. The restoration of this estuaries is biologically essential and economically priceless.”
Senator Chafee commented, “A salt marsh that has been brought back to life is a powerful and inspiring sight. It is a pleasure to join in marking a major step toward the recovery of Allin’s Cove, and I eagerly await seeing the healing effect that the tides will have on this landscape in the years ahead.”
“I am pleased to have worked with my Rhode Island colleagues and with the Army Corps of Engineers to secure over one million dollars through the Appropriations Committee for the Allin’s Cove Wetlands Restoration Project,” Congressman Kennedy said. “This wouldn’t have happened without the Allin’s Cove Neighborhood Coalition. I applaud their efforts and I pledge my support to this restoration project in any way I can until we are back here celebrating the completion of the project.”
Approximately 3.6 acres of Phragmites marsh will be excavated and restored to salt marsh. The excavated silty sediment will be disposed of on-site in a 2-acre upland area. Sandy material will be used to reconfigure the existing south sand spit at the end of the disposal area, which will result in a wider beach. Work will also include realigning the inlet channel to the cove and creating a northern sand spit to the western edge of the marsh near Byway Road. One acre of sand spit will be excavated and relocated to the west to fill the channel and alleviate erosion.