NEWBURYPORT — Damaged jetties at the mouth of the Merrimack River might be shored up by tons of rock "sitting idle" just a few miles away at Seabrook Station, state and city officials have learned.
And though the thought that the area's entry to the Atlantic would be saved by a contribution from the local nuclear energy plant is a novel one, an official of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is going to visit the New Hampshire site on Friday to assess the size and quality of the stone.
"If the stone meets our specifications, we'll consider using it," said Edward O'Donnell, chief of the navigation section of the New England District of the Corps.
"It would certainly save some money if it is quality stone and coming from such a short distance."
The two jetties at the mouth of the Merrimack River are designed to control the flow of the river and to prevent the river channel from shifting. However, they are also believed to contribute to beach erosion. The southern jetty, on Plum Island, has gaps in it that allow currents to scour along the beach. It's believed that these currents have been at least partly to blame for severe erosion around the island's Beach center.
The idea of using "local" stone to buttress the jetties came up at a Friday meeting of the Merrimack Valley Beach Alliance.
Arleigh Greene, owner of Seabrook Truck Center, Inc. in Seabrook, told the gathering that he has signed a contract with Seabrook Station to remove tons of stones from the property.
He said that the rock was dislodged decades ago when the plant was built, and that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is insisting that the stone be removed from the property.
Greene indicated that the site upon which the rock resides is about 30 acres, and in some spots the stone is piled 40 to 50 feet high. He said that the pieces are 3 to 8 feet long.
"The biggest expense of working with rock is the transportation," said Greene. "The site is about a mile away, and if barges are used, this could be a solution."
Greene said the stone has been tested and qualifies as a very "hard" type of rock.
Members of the alliance liked the idea of seeking a "local" solution after O'Donnell had stated that the federal government could be cutting back on funding for harbor projects.
"There are 170 harbor-improvement projects in New England alone," said O'Donnell. "We're in an era of cutbacks, and it could be that money for this jetty project won't be coming."
State Sen. Bruce Tarr, whose district includes Newbury and West Newbury, said with some enthusiasm, "This could be a win-win situation; we can get rock to use on the jetties and the station reclaimed this land."
Many Plum Island residents say that the jetties are in need of fortification. The alliance, in fact, on Friday vowed to mount a lobbying effort with federal officials to make them see the importance of funding improvements.
Led by Tarr, a group is planning to go to Washington in the next several months to state their case.
So the idea that a solution might lie in Seabrook was a compelling one.
"We'll know more after the (Corps) inspection, but this does appear to be worth considering," said Tarr.
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