RE7ERE BEACH, MASSACHUSETTS 



Revere Beach is located in the City of Revere, 5s miles north- 

 east of the City of Boston. It is a barrier beach which extends a 

 distance of 3^ miles northward from Roughan's Point to the mouth of 

 Saugus Riser, separating the Lynn marshes from Broad Sound . The 

 southern half of Revere Beach has been developed as a large amusement 

 area 5 the northern half as a residential area. The shore is publicly 

 owned and comprises the Metropolitan District Commission Revere Beach 

 Reservation for a length of 3 miles between Point of Pines at the 

 north end and Roughan's Point at the south end. The reservation con- 

 sists of the beach, a wide boulevard, sidewalks, a series of seawalls, 

 pavilions and retaining walls along the seaward edge of the boulevard,, 

 Excellent highways and the Metropolitan Transit Authority transporta- 

 tion system connect the study area with all sections of Metropolitan 

 Boston. Revere Beach is open to the public without charge. A 

 nominal fee is charged for use of the public bathhouse. The daily 

 attendance at Revere Beach during the summer season is estimated at 

 150,000 to 200,000, Sunday and holiday attendance at 4.00,000 to 

 500,000. 



Point of Pines, north of the Revere Beach Reservation, is a 

 densely populated, permanent residential area bounded by a paved 

 town road paralleling the privately owned shore. The road is partially 

 protected by miscellaneous walls, bulkheads and riprap revetments. 

 Roughan's Point, south of the Reservation, is a summer and year-round 

 residential area protected by a sea wall constructed by the Massachusetts 

 Department of Public Works. 



The beach fronting the Metropolitan District Commission Reserva- 

 tion consists of firm sand with deposits of stones in the backshore 

 area. The width of beach above the mean high water line varies from 

 50 feet to 100 feet for most of the length and increases to more than 

 200 feet at the ends. The position of the beach is stabilized by 

 Roughan's Point, Cherry Island Bar, Oak Island, and the Saugus River. 

 Although the beach is exposed to waves from the open ocean with 

 directions of approach between southeast and east, direct wave attack 

 during the dominant northeast storms is prevented by Nahant, Little 

 Nahant and the tombolos connecting them to the mainland. Waves 

 approaching the coast from the northeast reach Revere Beach only 

 after being refracted around the outer end of Nahant. Shore protection 

 works along the coast have cut off all onshore sources of beach 

 building materials. Since 1900, the date of the earliest profile 

 surveys, accretion has occurred along 2000 feet at the southerly end, 

 erosion along the remaining 12000 feet of the Reservation. Since 

 1932, stones have appeared on the beach in large quantities inter- 

 fering with recreational use of the beach. During severe storms 

 seawalls have been overtopped and the adjacent road flooded, but 

 structures along the beach have not, as yet, suffered great damage. 

 Continued erosion will, however, endanger existing protective 

 structures. 



31 



