In the midst a detailed, fact-filled draft letter to the US Army Corps from the Sandwich board of selectmen, one sentence dramatically underscored the townâs urgent need for federal help.
âOver the last month, four private homes on Spring Hill Beach have toppled onto the beach and been destroyed as drastic erosion continues to place public and private property in peril,â the letter said.
It also laid out the history of Sandwichâs plight and gave a clear-eyed look at the future.
âAs you know, for more than two decades the Town of Sandwich has been relentless in our pursuit of solutions to address ongoing beach and dune erosion and coastal sustainability issues that have adversely impacted our community, especially at Town Neck Beach,â the letter said.
A long-awaited report detailing the Cape Cod Canalâs role in starving the townâs beach of sand was made public this week by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
In short, the draft report says the jetties at the Cape Cod Canalâs east entrance entrance interrupt the natural transport of sand and âstarve the downdrift littoral system of sediment needed to maintain a stable shoreline.â
The US Army Corps also concluded, after years of study, that while the jetties are not the only cause of Sandwichâs shoreline erosion, the interruption caused by the jetties âsignificantly exacerbates erosion along the downdrift shoreline and is the primary cause of the ongoing threat that such erosion poses to the shoreline and surrounding coastal community.â
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On Thursday morning, Pottey informed the town’s building inspector that the house had fallen over. The same day, the Sandwich Fire Department staff went out to inspect the home, said Sandwich Fire Chief Peter Pozerski.
A fire prevention officer went down to the house and surrounded it with safety tape so nobody would be able to get too close to the property, Pozerski said.
The storm at the beginning of the month compromised the home s foundation, but as to what made it finally collapse, he was not sure.
“Hopefully, that won’t happen anymore down there,” Pozerski said Saturday.