Plum Island sets example for Bay State when it comes to erosion

PLUM ISLAND, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Every winter, Plum Island sees erosion and you might think, with the rough winter we just had, that this year would be worse than ever. But that's not the case.

This year, Plum Island actually added sand to its shores and what's happening there could have significance for all of coastal Massachusetts. On Plum Island jetty's, dredging and geotubes, or long sandbags, have helped keep the sand that's caught. Senator Bruce Tarr says the whole state needs to be doing things that are proactive, rather than scrambling in an emergency.

"It's true up and down the coast. You see it in Sandwich, you see it in Chatham, you certainly see in in Plum Island, you see it in Salisbury and its time that we as a state acknowledge that problem, rather than trying to solve it on a contingency basis," Tarr said.

Tarr was the driving force behind the 2014 creation of the Coastal Erosion Commission. They hope their findings will encourage the federal government to fund a proactive beach defense.

Cox Media Group