STATE OF CONNECTICUT - EAST RIVER TO NEW HAVEN HARBOR -(AREA 9) 



Area 9 of the State of Connecticut study comprises the shore of Long 

 Island Sound between the mouth of East River in Guilford and New Haven 

 Harbor, It includes the shores of the towns of Branford and East Haven 

 and portions of the shores of the town of Guilford and city of New Haven, 

 a total shore frontage of about 29 miles. New Haven, at the west end of 

 this shore area, is about 75 miles east of New York City. The shore 

 area is extensively developed for residential use. The permanent pop- 

 ulation of Guilford, Branford, East Haven and New Haven is about 193,000. 

 There is a summer increase in the population of about 11,500 in Guilford, 

 Branford and East Haven. In Guilford there are two town-owned low sand 

 spits, one of which is developed as a public beach used for recreational 

 purposes. In Branford, the shore at Parker Memorial Park is owned by 

 the town and is used for recreational purposes. The city of New Haven 

 owns the shore at Lighthouse Point Park, Morris Cove Park, Forbes Bluff 

 and Fort Hale Park. The former has a popular recreational beach. 



Long Island Sound is a tidal arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Tides are 

 semi-diurnal, the mean range increasing from 5.4 feet at East River to 

 6.2 feet at Lighthouse Point. The spring ranges are respectively 6.4 

 and 7.3 feet. The maximum tide of record at New Haven was 13.9 feet 

 above mean low water or 7.7 feet above mean high water. Tides 3 feet or 

 more above mean high water occur about once a year. With a tidal stage 

 of three feet above mean high water, the maximum height of breakers land- 

 ward of the low water line is about 8 feet. Larger waves can reach the 

 shore only during infrequent higher tides. Ocean swells entering Long 

 Island Sound between Race Point and Little Gull Island may affect littoral 

 processes, but the waves of primary importance are those generated in the 

 sound. Ordinary short storm waves cause littoral movement and offshore 

 loss of beach material. The influence of swells is probably insufficient 

 to cause appreciable return of material from offshore by wave action. 

 Waves which cause the greatest movement of beach material in this study 

 area are those from the west and southwest causing littoral drift to be 

 predominantly northward along shores aligned generally north and south, 

 and eastward along shores aligned generally east and west. 



The study area is characterized by rocky headlands and headlands 

 of unconsolidated glacial material, from which wave-built bars or spits 

 have been formed and the landward areas generally have filled and become 

 marshy. The headlands formerly supplied material to the intervening 

 beaches, but are now generally eroded to bed rock or otherwise protected. 

 The supply of material has thus been reduced or eliminated, and con- 

 sequently the beaches have slowly deteriorated. Groins have been found 

 to be capable of causing minor accretion areas and stabilizing a narrow 

 band along the upper portion of the beach in some sections, but the 

 natural supply of material is insufficient for the formation of adequate 

 protective beaches by groins alone. The building and maintenance of 

 adequate beaches may be accomplished by artificial placement of sand. 

 The rate of loss of fill can be reduced by groins. 



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