State geologist Jon Boothroyd warned that houses are raised on pilings along the South County beaches to avoid storm waves, but state and local officials use standards so old they do not account for 1 foot of sea level rise. If another hurricane like the one in 1938 hits, he said, his data shows the storm surge would roll right over the dunes and take out most of the houses along the beach.
Pointing down the beach, he said, “That house would be gone. But it would be in compliance with local codes.”
In nearby Ninigret Pond, acres of eel grass have quickly returned after a state and federal project spent several million dollars pumping out sand that entered through the Charlestown Breachway. But sand has already swept back into the pond and buried several acres of grasses, and the state’s coastal agency is having trouble finding money to remove it.
In the next few years, billions of dollars will be spent for wind turbines offshore. But much of that money will go to manufacturers in Europe if the United States doesn’t do more to support manufacturing wind turbine components here.
Read the complete story at The Providence Journal.