CRMC, Save The Bay address erosion at Stillhouse Cove

September 25, 2013 WAKEFIELD – The RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), along with Save The Bay, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA), are working to combat erosion and protect a marsh in Stillhouse Cove in Cranston.

The cove is the site of a public park and a previous salt marsh restoration project funded in part through the R.I. Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund, which is administered by the CRMC. The restoration project completed in 2007 included the removal of fill material from sections of the upper marsh, treatment of the invasive reed Phragmites and seeding of the upland edge of the marsh with grasses.

Earlier this year the CRMC issued an emergency permit for restoration of the park’s upland bank, which experienced extensive erosion as a result of superstorm Sandy. The steep bank had become unstable and material had washed into the adjacent marsh, Save The Bay and EWPA, working closely with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, developed a design to reinforce and protect the eroding bank using natural materials and vegetation. Additional funding for the project was then secured through CRMC’s Shoreline Adaptation program, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Work has commenced on the site, and in the coming days Save The Bay and the EWPA will be working with contractors to re-grade the existing bank to create a gentler slope that will help to dissipate wave energy. The bank will then be reinforced with sand-filled tubes or “envelopes” and matting made of coconut fiber, and the top of the bank planted with native vegetation. The marsh will not be disturbed by the restoration work or plantings. In addition to the Stillhouse Cove project, a smaller, similar erosion control project was completed in Allin’s Cove in Barrington, and Save The Bay and CRMC are currently examining other potential sites for shoreline adaptation projects in Warwick.

“We’re hoping this project will demonstrate that improving the slop and using ‘soft’ materials can be an effective way to address erosion-especially next to sensitive habitats,” said Caitlin Chaffee, CRMC coastal policy analyst.