Narrow River dredging project could cost Narragansett $2.6M to $7.2M. Here's why

NARRAGANSETT – Dredging the Narrow River to unclog the river’s mouth and replenish Narragansett Town Beach with sand could cost between $2.6 million and $7.2 million, according to an engineering firm hired by the town to study the project.

Engineers from Foth Infrastructure & Environment LLC presented their findings from a dredging and beach nourishment feasibility study to the Town Council during a work session last week. Narragansett spent more than $127,000 in 2022 to hire the firm.

The engineers gave three options for dredging between 54,200 and 78,000 cubic yards of sand. Two options offer beach nourishment. The extracted sediment would then be placed along a half-mile stretch of beach, ending near the North Beach Club House.

The town has two alternatives for beach nourishment. The first one would expand the berm – the slope usually used for recreational activities – to 80 feet in width.  The second would expand the berm as well as add 20-foot-wide dunes next to the seawall.

The project would require permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local agencies such as the Coastal Resources Management Council and the state Department of Environmental Management. Permitting lasts for about three years, the engineers explained. The work would be slated to begin in fall 2025.

Because of the quick turnaround, the town will need to make a decision in the next 60 to 90 days, the engineers said. For that to happen, though, the town needs to secure funds.

State Rep. Carol McEntee, a Democrat representing Narragansett and South Kingstown, who was present at the workshop, said she has spoken with U.S. representatives and senators to try to get federal funding for the project. There also have been some conversations with the Dunes Club, a private club next to Narragansett Town Beach, to put “some skin in the game,” McEntee said. Advocates for beach access have argued that dredging public sand would make the club’s beach public, too.

Malcolm Spaulding, a professor emeritus at the University of Rhode Island, said that model simulations show that dredging the Narrow River’s inlet would increase the tidal range in the river.

“This is good news because [dredging] increases the flushing of the river and improves its water quality," Spaulding stated in an email. "It also allows better access to the river from the small boat community. The downside is that it increases the tidal range [water level] at the Chaffee Reserve marsh. Dredging would exacerbate the flooding of the marsh and be exactly opposite of what [the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] was trying to accomplish with the thin layer deposition project.”

In the winter of 2016-2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service dredged the river and spread about four inches of sand across 14 acres of salt marsh to raise the elevation for climate resiliency. Given the impact dredging might have on the marsh, Spaulding said the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge also might have to approve the project.

More: Narrow River needs dredging, Narragansett needs sand — can each solve the other’s problem?

Several Town Council members had further questions for the engineers about the cost. To a certain extent, the cost is flexible, the engineers stated, noting that once equipment is in place, the town can decide how much material to dredge based on its needs, though the engineers recommended an additional study to look at sediment transport, which would cost about $150,000.

Town Councilor Susan Cicilline-Buonanno said she wanted to be on the record as stating that the work “needs to happen as soon as possible,” drawing applause from the room.

Meanwhile, Town Council President Ewa Dzwierzynski asked what the engineers would say to those who ask whether Mother Nature has “lost this battle.”

“I wouldn’t say that we’ve lost to Mother Nature," said Kaitlyn Cross, a project manager at the engineering firm. "I think with a little bit of correction, it can come back.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Narrow River dredging project could cost Narragansett $2.6M to $7.2M. Here's why