Governor Rell Announces Start of Work 
at Hammonasset Beach State Park

Project Will Restore and Control Erosion at West Beach

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that an improvement project aimed at restoring and protecting a popular beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison will get underway next week.

The work launches a $2 million initiative announced by Governor Rell in March to reclaim and control erosion at the state park’s West Beach.  Severe storms this past winter washed away nearly all of the sand at West Beach .  The sand there is completely gone and the surf now washes up all the way under the new boardwalk constructed in 2001.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says that during this phase of the project, West Beach will be closed weekdays from May 9 through May 27.  During this time period, vehicle and pedestrian access to West Beach and its pavilions will not be permitted on weekdays.  There will be access, however, to the West Beach area and its pavilions on weekends in May. 

Governor Rell said, “As we head into the busiest time of year at our state parks, work will be underway to restore the beach at Hammonassett.  It is important to note that this project will be completed before the height of beach season.  This will allow everyone to take full advantage this summer of the wonderful beach experience Hammonasset has to offer.

“The restoration of West Beach is critical to maintaining Hammonassett State Park as a popular attraction for our residents and out-of-state visitors.  It is also just one of many steps I am taking to reinvigorate our state park system.  Our parks are one of our state’s great attractions and we need to maintain and preserve them.”

DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy said, “The erosion repair project will be a ‘win’ for both the park visitors and the environment. The project will give us a beach that will be enjoyed throughout the summer and a salt marsh habitat for shoreline birds and other species.”

The improvement project will result in the relocation of up to 15,000 cubic yards of sand from a former salt marsh area that was previously filled.  The removal of the fill will accomplish two purposes:  It will restore the salt marsh, providing additional habitat to species that once thrived along the shore and the sand will be used for the restoration of West Beach.

As part of the project, DEP’s State Parks Division will be working with the Office of Long Island Sound Programs, the Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Connecticut Marine Science Center at Avery Point , and others to design and implement a long-term solution to the shoreline erosion at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

The DEP will evaluate other methods that would curb erosion and protect the beach such as constructing a series of gabions.  A gabion is a structure, usually a cage or basket, filled with rocks and placed at the water’s edge to absorb wave energy.  The DEP will also be conducting a comprehensive study of the natural forces at play along the shore at Hammonasset.

During the winter of 2003, a series of storms pounded the shoreline at Hammonasset.  In 2003, summer tides and currents helped to partially restore the beach.  Severe winter weather, however, including a number of coastal storms, in November and December of 2004 washed away nearly 150 feet of beach.  

Hammonasset Beach State Park is 919 acres with 2.5 miles of beach.  Each year approximately 1 million people visit the park or stay at one of the 550 campsites.