Sedimentation Concerns Associated with Proposed Restoration of Herring River Marsh, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Dougherty AJ. Sedimentation Concerns Associated with Proposed Restoration of Herring River Marsh, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
In 1909 construction of a dike was completed across the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Since that time the restriction of tidal flow has resulted in major water quality problems, fish kills, and the general degradation of a once productive 11 00-acre salt marsh system. Multiple studies, conducted to determine ways of restoring habitat quality in and adjacent to the Herring River, have found that water quality can be improved and estuarine habitats restored by returning tidal flow to the area above the dike. However, the proposed opening of the dike, necessary to performing such a restoration, has raised concerns among local shellfishermen. The most recent question, and the impetus for this study, is whether increased tidal flow will change sedimentation below the dike. Town officials and resources managers are particularly interested in how changing the tidal regime in the river might affect sedimentation on shellfish beds. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address sedimentation concerns related to the possible restoration of the Herring River and to assess the effect, if any, of altering the tidal system on oyster and hard clam culture in Wellfleet Harbor. In order to address sedimentological concerns associated with increasing tidal flow to the Herring River, questions were solicited from local fishermen and Town officials concerning the proposed restoration, with special emphasis on the effects of dike opening on shellfish grants. Two major questions emerged: 1) Does opening the Herring River Dike affect the stability of The Gut? 2) Does opening the Herring River Dike affect sedimentation below (seaward of) the dike? This report answers these two questions by synthesizing pertinent information from previous investigations augmented with new data and analyses specifically for the Herring River.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Dougherty, Amy
- Units
- CACO
- Keywords
- harbor, Herring River Marsh, Maps, Massachusetts, Photographs, Restoration, Sedimentation, Sediments, Water, Wellfleet