Rockport
THE MAIN IMPACTS:
Erosion While most of the town’s coast is rocky headlands, beach erosion is likely to continue to significantly threaten oceanfront homes and neighborhoods, with more than 2 feet of Cape Hedge Beach already lost per year [CIT. 5].
Marsh Loss About three of Rockport’s 39 acres of high marsh could transition to low marsh by 2050, with increases in both low marsh and tidal flats [CIT 2]. In the decades after 2050, most high marsh may be lost [CIT. 2].
Developed Coast Ten-year storm flooding of buildings and homes is likely along Long Beach/Front Beach area and Rockport / Back Harbor areas in 2050. Some daily flooding of roads may occur near Front Beach [CIT. 1,3].
OCEAN-FACING SHORELINE (15.2 MILES) [CIT. 4]
Shoreline types below can overlap, not cumulative
FUTURE STORM AND TIDAL FLOODING [CIT 1,3]
Blue=Current Shoreline / Red=2050 Chronic Tidal Flooding (MHHW) / Yellow=2050 1% (1 in 100 year) storm flooding
OTHER RISKS INCLUDE:
Property Damage A 10-year storm in Rockport may flood more than 392 buildings (8.2%) in 2050 [CIT. 3]. Chronic daily tidal flooding could impact 45 buildings (0.9%) in 2050 [CIT. 1].
Road Flooding Daily high tides may flood 0.3 miles (0.4%) of roads in 2050 [CIT. 1]. More than 4.1 miles (6.3%) of roadway could flood in the event of a 100-year storm in 2050 [CIT. 3].
STRATEGY SNAPSHOT: BEACH NOURISHMENT
Rockport used the “soft” structural strategy of beach nourishment as part of repairs to Long Beach. An aging seawall prevented shoreline migration, robbing the beach of sediment, and climate-driven storms and flooding caused significant erosion. Beach nourishment adds large amounts of sand or sediment so beaches can absorb wave energy, protect inland areas from flooding, and mitigate erosion. Rockport re-stabilized the seawall with boulders and added 8,000 yards of sand to strengthen the buffer and help protect homes [CIT. 14].