SALISBURY BEACH, MASSACHUSETTS 
The purpose of the investigation was to determine the best method of 
restoring and protecting the beach, and protecting the beach development. 
Salisbury Beach is located in Essex County about 35 miles north of Boston. 
It is about 3.5 miles long, extending from the New Hampshire State line to 
the jettied mouth of Merrimack River. The shore area consists of a barrier 
beach ranging from 600 to1,500 feet in width. Salisbury Beach is a popular 
summer resort with a permanent population of about 3,100. The estimated 
peak population on summer weekends is 12,000. The shore of the study area 
is publicly owned. The southerly 0.6 mile has been developed as a State 
beach reservation, but the remainder of the shore is backed by private 
development. The beaches are used for recreational purposes. The tides 
in the study area are semi-diurnal. The mean and spring ranges are re- 
spectively 8.3 and 9.5 feet. The estimated highest tides are 12.5 feet 
above mean low water. The shores of the study area are exposed to waves 
from the east with unlimited fetch. The fetch to the northeast and south- 
east are limited by the peninsulas of Nova Scotia and Cape Ann respectively. 
However, the greater energy of waves from the northeast quadrant cause a 
predominant southward littoral transport. The source of littoral materials 
is adjacent beaches to the north. 
The Division Engineer studied the sources and movement of the beach 
material and the changes in the shore line and the offshore bottom, and 
found that accretion occurred to the shore line from 1953 to 1960, that 
existing beaches are generally adequate for protection of the beach de- 
velopment, but that, if recession of the shore occurs, restoration can be 
accomplished by direct placement of sand along the shores or in stockpiles 
to be distributed by wave action. He concluded that minor infrequent dam- 
ages which have occurred do not warrant construction of protective works 
at this time, but that surveys should be made to determine trends of shore 
line and offshore depth changes and the need for beach restoration or pro- 
tection. He recommended that no project be adopted by the United States 
for protection of Salisbury Beach and recommended further that future con- 
struction of buildings be limited to the area behind the general line of 
development and that protective measures which may be undertaken by local 
interests based on their determination of need be accomplished in accord- 
ance with methods discussed in his report. The Beach Erosion Board con- 
curred in the conclusions and recommendations of the Division Engineer, 
and noted that minor damages to development features have resulted from 
their construction within the zone of seasonal or storm shore line changes, 
but in view of shore line accretion in recent years and the small amount 
of damages, no protective measures are warranted at this time. The Board 
noted further that the erosion which has deepened the nearshore and off- 
shore zones since 1940 increases the vulnerability of the area to storm 
damages, and emphasized the importance of continued observation of profile 
changes to determine need of protective measures before that need becomes 
urgent. The Board also noted that periodic nourishment of Hampton Beach 
to the north will probably increase the supply of material to Salisbury 
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