Is A Dune As Good As A Seawall?

People who propose a strategy of not making seawall repairs need to take a good look at the picture above.

That is the former dune that was charged with protecting the parking lot at Duxbury Beach Park. The picture was taken shortly after the Blizzard of '78.

It was annihilated by the Blizzard, which had the strength of a weak hurricane. I lived there at the time, and these pictures have not been altered.

The same Blizzard didn't put a scratch on the seawall that stood 100 yards north. That seawall, shoddily built and not maintained at all, made it 40 more years and still stands today.

That dune not only protects the parking lot, it protects mainland Duxbury. As you can see, it doesn't do much protecting when a big storm comes around.

The picture below is taken from about the same vantage point. It shows what gets hit by waves once the dune is gone, with "what gets hit" meaning "Powder Point."

Much of Duxbury Beach is protected by dunes. A good portion of the spring season is spent restoring those dunes after the ocean has at them with winter storms.

Duxbury is protected by two barrier beaches. One is Duxbury Beach, and the other is Cape Cod. The protection from Cape Cod ends right about where those pictures were taken. North of that, Duxbury is hit by direct open-ocean waves.

The part of Duxbury Beach that has a seawall is the part if Duxbury Beach that needs a seawall. The seawall protects not only the Gurnet Road area, but the Powder Point area. It is also what stands between the sea and the school complex.

Dunes won't get the job done. They get leveled, and become a rapidly eroding sandbar. There is nothing to stop the waves at that point.

As you can see, those waves will hit either Duxbury Beach or Powder Point. You can decide which at the next town election.