When construction at Magens Bay is completed in the next month or so, flooding at the beach should be significantly reduced, according to officials.
With heavy rains, the bridge area at the beach would often flood to the point where visitors could not park, or get out of their cars without stepping out into ankle-high water. Funded by the Magens Bay Authority, ongoing work in the area is meant to alleviate that problem.
The cost of the project was approximately $193,000, according to Magens Bay Authority General Manager Hubert Brumant. The contractor on the project was Patrick Charles, and by the time the construction is finished, the final scope of work is expected to include a raised parking area for visitors near the bridge, and a better drainage system that would help reduce the pooling water.
“Magens Bay is part of a watershed, and this was the only flat area where water can collect,” Magens Bay Authority board chairman Robert Moron said in an interview with the Source. “And recently, we have had an unusual amount of rainfall, so the water accumulates in that low-lying area. It eventually reaches the ocean, but that takes a while to happen, so that area by the driveway, concession and arboretum would flood.”
Moron said that while the problem will not be completely resolved, the authority hopes improvements will better manage the flooding.
Another step, Moron said, is getting permission from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to lower the height of a sand dune near the second bathhouse. Right now, winds and waves have pushed the dune to a height that does not allow water to flow back to the sea.
“If the dune is lowered, the water would drain slowly on its own to the sea, rather than having to reach there on its own four times a year,” Moron explained.
