Consultants say Second Beach is losing about a tenth of a meter of sand a year. The #MiddletownRI Beach Commission heard this in a recent report and will get more details before advising the Town Council about what to do -- if anything.
CONSULTANTS SAY SECOND BEACH NEEDS OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE
MIDDLETOWN, RI (MARCH 13, 2025) – A multi-step attack is needed to help preserve Second Beach now — and into the future.
That was the message from consultants Coastal Systems Research & Planning to the town’s Beach Commission during a meeting Tuesday night in Town Hall.
Among the ideas from the Cherry Hill, New Jersey environmental experts included suggesting the town no longer remove rocks from the Sachuest Point Road summertime hotspot. That’s because the stones serve as a base and help solidify the beach itself.
They also suggested relocating some of the rock pile by the end of Path 1, cleaning it and placing it in the water near the entrance to the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. Based on extensive modeling, Coastal Systems Research said that would help dissipate the heavy wave action and better preserve parts of Second Beach.
Coastal Systems Research recommended they continue studying Sachuest Bay and beyond to help further understand what’s happening to the beach and why.
The volunteer beach board did not make a decision on what to do with the report following an hour-long discussion and question-and-answer session. Instead, the Beach Commission would wait for additional findings from Coastal Systems Research, expected in late April or early May.
“We have a good idea at Second Beach where the sand is going,” said Daniel Barone of Coastal Systems Research. “It will move along towards the west and then it seems…to get driven offshore and into the deep (water).”
Like many other communities across the East Coast, Middletown officials have raised concerns about the future of Second — or Sachuest — Beach.
Not only is the beach a beloved spot cherished by the community, it also generates more than $2 million in annual revenues for the town on a good summer.
The issue is that according to multiple reports, the beach itself is slowly disappearing.
According to the June 2016 findings of a state Coastal Resources Management Council coastal geologist, parts of Second Beach were losing as much as a foot of sand a year.
The study by Janet Freedman said a combination of factors were to blame, mostly sea-level rise and the natural physics and evolution of the beach.
At the same time, she also indicated when compared to other beaches across the Ocean State, what was happening at Second wasn’t as dramatic as it sounded. For example, she said Matunuck Beach in South Kingstown was losing 3 feet a year.
To get a better handle on what was happening today, Coastal Systems Research was brought in by the town to take another look at both Second and Third beaches.
The study was necessitated by a particularly rough winter season for Second Beach in 2023-2024, where tons of rocks and pebbles wound up on the shoreline. To prepare for the beach season, the town’s public works crews did a yeoman’s job clearing the beach using a large rented excavator and haul trucks.
Using extensive data pulled from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other offshore buoys, town officials said Coastal Systems Research ran models for days to learn what was happening in Sachuest Bay.
Coastal Systems Research also reviewed Third Beach on Third Beach Road. Based on their study, there wasn’t much wave action at Third Beach. This was determined by placing a large load of sand in the water off the center of the beach and recording what happened to it, which Coastal Systems Research indicated was very little.
It was the complete opposite at Second Beach, however. Coastal Systems Research officials said a similar pile was put in the water near the entrance to the wildlife refuge and it moved dramatically westward up the beach due to heavy wave action before eventually going to the deep waters offshore.
Based on their findings, Coastal Systems Research was seeing less sand loss than the June 2016 report, or about a tenth of a meter of sand a year from Second Beach.
Coastal Systems Research said that would continue to take place unless a strategy was devised to replenish sand at Second Beach regularly. What that could be depends on the data and what the town decides to do, if anything.
The idea of putting in an artificial reef in the waters off Second Beach was floated Tuesday. Barone said while such a structure would definitely help dissipate some of the wave energy, but it was unclear whether it would be approved by the applicable authorities, including the state Department of Environmental Management and Coastal Resources Management Council.
Before anything happens or any money is spent on Second Beach, the plans need review and approval by the Town Council.
Operations & Facility Manager Will Cronin stressed that no decisions have been made about how Middletown should best move forward with Second — or Sachuest — Beach.
He said out of the work by Coastal Systems Research, the volunteer Beach Commission will make a recommendation to the Town Council for review. From there, it will be up to the seven-member council about what path to take with Second Beach.
Town officials have said in the recorded history of Second Beach, Middletown has never spent any money in its history to “replenish” — or bringing in outside sand — minus dune grass replanting and related work.
Importantly, town officials have stressed the aim is to not add to Second Beach, but maintain and preserve what’s already there.
What Middletown has been experiencing at Second Beach is not unique. Cities and towns throughout the eastern seaboard have dealt with similar concerns with shrinking shorelines, erosion and more.
Neighboring Newport is looking at similar models. State Rep. Alex Finkelman is leading a statewide commission on the issue as well.
Town officials have said they don’t expect the town to have nearly the same level of prep work to get the beaches open for Summer 2025.
“While there’s still a ways to go, the beach looks good right now and we don’t expect nearly the same level of maintenance,” Cronin said. “We haven’t had nearly the same level of winter storms and wave action that we had last winter.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Preserve
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
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