Harwich 2009 Annual Town Report

effective ramp on private property, allowing young eels to wriggle up and over
a flume to their freshwater destination. Many volunteers organized by Ryan
Mann counted eels making their way into Grassy Pond in the spring. In 2008,
more than 6,000 eels successfully migrated. In 2009, more than 25,800 eels
were counted making their way up an artificial mesh raceway into the pond.
A small electric pump keeps the inclined ramp moist to help the slithering eels
pass from Cold Brook into the pond. A new aluminum ramp replaced the prototype
wooden structure and the name “eel-a-vator” stuck.
The project proves that cranberry farming on a nearby private bog and eel
migration can co-exist. In general, declines of the eel, along with habitat disruption,
have created opportunities to aid migration and survival of this unique
species. The eel ramp is only the second in Massachusetts. Almost all of the
eels measure below the legal catch length of six inches. The eels provide an
important food source for a variety of wildlife, and will hopefully mature into
spawning adults in the years to come. Harwich Conservation Trust, the town,
state and federal government are partners in this project
Beach Road
The Town continues to try and help a conflicting situation at Beach Road,
a small neighborhood public beach off Shore Road where private abutters and
neighbors skirmish over the legal width and size of the public area. Harwich
has owned parcels of beach on either side of Beach Road which has eroded
back over time. The majority of both parcels are now below the mean high
water mark and the abutters on either side have made a claim prohibiting the
town from placing any sand on their private beach as part of an effort to get
this public beach back. It takes a Ch. 91 license to nourish below the mean
high water mark.
The County Dredge supervisor has stated it is not possible to put a quantity
of material on a 40’ wide beach (a 30’ x 40’ patch) without spilling onto
the private beach or crossing them with the pipe. Alternatively, trucking sand
is also impossible because of the narrow path leading to the beach from the
street and turning the loader around in a 30’ area without crossing onto the
neighbors land. Neighbors on either side forbid us to place sand on the beach
in front of their homes for fear that we will be causing public access or restoring
the former public beach.
Infrastructure report
A waterfront infrastructure study by Coastal Engineering, Co., Inc has identified
a need for between $5.5 and $7.5 million in improvements over the next
decade. The surprise in the report is the need for replacement of the
Wychmere Town Pier which is proposed for 2013 and estimated to cost $1.2
million. Wychmere pier was built around 1978 using bottom-driven piles and
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