Beach Erosion Threatens More Homes

BOSTON -- Crews are struggling to keep the ocean at bay after a Plum Island home was lost last week and others remain in danger due to beach erosion.

Beach Erosion Threatens More Homes | Homeowners Worry About Erosion

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported debris from a home that was pushed into the ocean last week litters the shoreline in Newbury.

A seven-member crew has been working to save the beachfront homes from erosion for the past two weeks. They are digging and building 180 sand blocks wrapped in coconut-fiber.

"We dig that down so that that's in the beach elevation. We use that as our footing. We tie them all together. That forms the footing for our insulation on the entire 500-foot length of the project," said Richard Bishop, of Netco.

It's costing the town about $130,000.

"It's able to maintain a soft structure out here, where it can be planted in and it allows hydrostatic pressure to move back and forth through the envelope, unlike a hard structure like concrete or rock," Bishop said.

The town wants another 500-feet of shoreline protected. Contractors said that a fund-raising effort is under way for a possible second phase.

"The ocean does what the ocean wants. I have to be grateful that I had 70 years of coming down here," homeowner Pat Murphy said.

"I don't know that we can do anything about it," homeowner Tom Gurski said.