Longer, Wider, Deeper Spit Restoration Project

Longer, wider, deeper

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Longer, wider, deeper •

Project Complete!

The Popponesset Spit and Popponesset Outer Approach Channel leading from the Bay to Nantucket Sound are vital organs to Mashpee’s ecosystem. Keeping the Outer Approach Channel dredged allows for proper flushing of the Bay with each tide. The Popponesset Spit protects the Bay and land of Mashpee to flourish.

SPB with the Town of Mashpee, obtained all necessary permits to expand and deepen the Outer Approach Channel, and placed that dredged sand on the Spit - strengthening the barrier beach.

  • • Widen the channel by 50 feet

    • Extend the length by 250 feet

    • Deepen the channel by 2 feet

    • Adding a new catch basin west of the channel to catch sand as it drifts eastward before it fills the channel to prevent it from filling in as rapidly.

    Project was executed between September 2025 - December 2025.

  • ~$3 million

    Costs include:

    >Dredging 40,000-45,000 cubic yards from the Outer Approach Channel for placement on the Spit (for reference annual dredging usually results in 5,000-7,000 cubic yards).

    >Purchase and installation of additional beach grass to anchor the new sand

    >Project management using Coastal Protection Engineering, our coastal engineering firm

    >Additional trucked sand to complete the scope of the design

  • Applied to various Federal, State, and private grants.

    The majority of funds raised are from local businesses and private donations.

  • September 2025-December 2025

    Permit limitations due to spawning fish and endangered birds’ migratory patterns, left a window between September and January 15 to execute.

  • Save Popponesset Bay: LWD Project Q&A

    1. What is the LWD Spit Restoration Project?

    The LWD (Longer-Wider-Deeper) Spit Restoration Project is a large-scale coastal restoration effort that includes:

    • Expanding and deepening the navigation channel

    • Rebuilding the width and height of the Popponesset Spit

    • Adding a nature-based catch basin to trap sand before it clogs the channel

    This integrated approach received final approval after more than 10 years of studies, planning, and regulatory review. It ensures a sustainable sand source, reduces the need for costly trucking, and improves the long-term health and resilience of the bay.

    2. Who is leading the project?

    The project is being led by a team of experienced coastal experts:

    • John Malloy, Project Manager, has overseen more than a dozen nourishment and dredging efforts over 12+ years and helped secure vital community and government partnerships.

    • Tara Marden, Coastal Geologist and Senior Project Manager at Coastal Protection Engineering, brings over 30 years of shoreline restoration and permitting experience. She shaped the project’s phased design and implementation.

    Together, they’ve laid the groundwork for one of the most ambitious community-led coastal efforts in Massachusetts.

    3. When was the project done?

    Project was executed between September 2025 - December 2025.

    5. Why is this urgent?

    Despite past restoration work, Popponesset Spit remains highly vulnerable. With sea levels rising and coastal storms intensifying, just one major storm could:

    • Breach the Spit

    • Flood marshes and nearby homes

    • Disrupt recreation and shellfishing

    • Destroy a decade of progress

    We are one storm away from irreversible damage. This project is our best opportunity to secure the Spit’s future - for the environment and our community.

    6. What impact will this project have?

    The LWD Project delivers lasting, measurable benefits:

    • Strengthens the Spit by rebuilding its width, height, and storm-buffering capacity

    • Improves navigation by expanding the Outer Channel

    • Creates a sustainable sand source via sediment reuse

    • Reduces future costs and maintenance with a natural sand-trapping catch basin

    This is more than a dredging project - it’s a science-based solution to protect one of Cape Cod’s most treasured natural assets.

In 2013, following Hurricane Sandy, SPB with the support of our partner Mass Audubon, initiated a campaign to restore the Popponesset Spit and significantly improve its resilience to future storms and sea level rise while helping to maintain water quality in Popponesset Bay. SPB collaborated with Woods Hole Group, a coastal engineering firm, to develop a strategy and design to achieve these objectives. SPB worked diligently to design and permit the Longer, Wider, Deeper Spit Restoration Project, coordinating efforts with State, Federal, Barnstable County, and Mashpee Town officials and Mass Audubon Society.

The Longer, Wider, Deeper Spit Restoration Project significantly enhances and safeguards the Popponesset Spit and Bay, by adding over 70,000 cubic yards of sand to widen the Spit beach and dunes. The Popponesset Approach Channel to Nantucket Sound was extended by 250 feet, widened by 50 feet, and deepened by 2 feet, incorporating a catch basin along a portion of the channel to prolong the channel's lifespan between future dredging projects. The channel dredging yielded over 57,000 cubic yards of sand that was placed on the Spit. Construction was completed in December 2025.