Dune restoration and management are key steps the town of Scarborough could take to address recent erosion issues at Pine Point Beach, an expert says.

Peter Slovinsky, a Scarborough resident and employee of the Maine Geological Survey, was set to make a presentation to the Town Council this week regarding erosion at one of the town’s most popular beaches.

He was scheduled to appear at a workshop before the council’s regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4, after the Current’s deadline.

This week, Slovinsky said that while Pine Point Beach has experienced noticeable erosion in the past several years, it does not appear to be a long-term problem, such as at Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach in Saco, but an episodic one.

Even so, Town Manager Tom Hall said the town wants to ensure that waterfront properties, and their taxable value, are protected.

“The beach and dunes areas are essential habitat for wildlife,” Hall added.

The beach is also an integral part of the town’s tourism economy, which is one reason the Town Council has expressed interest in knowing more about the beach and the beach profiling project the town is conducting, with the help of volunteers, to more accurately track shoreline changes.

Hall said the goal of this week’s workshop is to “better understand the history of public and private efforts to protect the beach in this area and for a technical presentation to understand the natural dynamics of erosion and accretion of sand on the beach.”

Due to the high cost and various permitting requirements needed for beach restoration and other measures, Hall said, historically the town has not been involved in any erosion abatement projects, leaving that to the federal government, like using sand from the recent dredge of the Scarborough River to rebuild Western Beach.

“I suppose the town could be involved similarly (at Pine Point), but I do not expect we would take a leadership role,” he said.

Since Pine Point Beach is on the receiving end of sand that moves up Saco Bay from Saco and Old Orchard Beach, Slovinsky said, it has “a positive sediment budget,” which could help the beach fight off erosion and keep pace with sea level rise, as well.

“Erosion along Pine Point appears to be more heavily influenced by tidal inlet shoal dynamics and not necessarily longer-term sea level rise,” he said.

While there is some concern about the recent erosion at Pine Point Beach, particularly from waterfront property owners, Slovinsky said, overall, “The Pine Point area, historically, has grown substantially since the mid-1800s, but has seen episodic erosion (particularly) adjacent to the Scarborough River tidal inlet.”

He added that “the distances from the existing shoreline to habitable structures is quite large, in excess of 100 feet, so there is a buffer for natural variation in erosion and accretion to occur. That said, the short-term trend is certainly erosive.”

When he meets with the council, Slovinsky, who is volunteering his time to research the erosion issue, will show a series of slides designed to better explain the forces that drive both erosion and accretion at Pine Point Beach, along with discussing some of the longer- and shorter-term shoreline trends, which are being observed by both professionals and residents.

Although there are steps the town, state or federal government could take to abate any erosion impact, Slovinsky said, what complicates taking action is the presence of a conservation easement on the beach.

In addition to looking at the erosion issue at Pine Point Beach, the town of Scarborough is also a member of the Sea Level Adaptation Working Group, which also includes Old Orchard Beach, Saco and Biddeford.

The goal of that group is to help the member communities better prepare for the impact of sea level rise on public and private infrastructure. To that end the group recently created reports for each community, which are designed to assist in capital project planning, Slovinsky said.

Pine Point Beach erosion will be discussed this week by the Scarborough Town Council. Courtesy image from the Maine Geological Survey