When visitors return to Wicomico's Cove Road, Roaring Point beaches, here's what to expect

Visitors to Wicomico County's Cove Road and Roaring Point beaches are seeing changes to stem coastal erosion, but the efforts are drawing mixed reviews.

The $670,000 project by the Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism Department installed breakwater stone barriers and planted marsh grass. The problem, according to Aaron Hogue, associate professor of biological sciences at Salisbury University, was that it came at the expense of the available shoreline that attracted patrons in the first place.

"Over the course of the project, we’ve worked with technical experts from various agencies including the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others. The design was recommended to address ongoing erosion issues at both properties," said Steve Miller, director of the Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism Department.

Miller argued not taking such steps would have resulted in the end of public access for both beaches. Roaring Point Park in Nanticoke reopened to the public Nov. 18. Cove Road Beach in Bivalve reopened in early October.

The county also purchased acreage adjacent to Cove Road over the past year. Once this section is "developed and combined with ongoing restoration efforts," public beach access will nearly double in size at that site.

"In terms of public input, these projects have been in the pipeline for over seven years and there have been multiple opportunities for public input during that period of time," Miller said. "This includes multiple meetings at the County Council, inclusion in the County’s Capital Improvement Plans, inclusion in the county's land preservation, among other public discourse. We do not have any similar projects planned at this time."

Miller noted each of those planning phases includes a public comment and input component.

Design draws ire

While Hogue agrees beach erosion is a natural and reversible process, he also is a strong supporter of more traditional methods like beach nourishment.

What he regards as a hefty price tag for the construction and marsh grass at the locations "could have been solved for free by a team of volunteers with shovels," he contended.

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"From what I've seen is that they've done very little beach nourishment and have instead relied on heavily artificial measures," Hogue said. "A beach is where water meets shoreline so, by definition, they have eliminated the beach. In this case, we're talking about public beaches that have been so for a long time with the county saying they want to keep them that way. Their effort here has basically eliminated it."

As a conservationist, Hogue recognizes the need for artificial means of stopping beach erosion but disagrees with their use in this instance. The peril of such erosion means the loss of shoreline due to sediment being washed away by tides.

Some of the marsh vegetation, according to Hogue, has even been washed away by the tide.

When the professor tried to reach out to the county's park department, he received a single email restating the goal to preserve the public beach.

"The people who use the beach are the ones you should be getting feedback from, and they've made no effort to target those people. There're many signs at both these beaches, but not one said they were considering these projects and that they were looking for input," Hogue said.

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For Hogue, the fight to include more beach nourishment methods will continue with a new County Council, fresh off the election. He hopes for future discussions on fighting beach erosion, as spring will once again bring beachgoers and a new opportunity for public attention.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Cove Road, Roaring Point beaches getting big changes: What to expect