RE-ESTABLISHING A HISTORICAL INLET AT EAST HARBOR, CAPE COD, MASSSACHUSETTS
East Harbor is a tidally restricted estuary north of Truro, MA, on Cape Cod. The Harbor is connected to Cape Cod Bay by a culvert with 2.2 m2 cross-sectional area and 200 m length leading to a poorly flushed marsh area which empties into East Harbor. The natural inlet on the north end of the estuary was closed via construction of a dike in 1869, which significantly changed the hydrodynamics of the system. This study examined the benefits of establishing a new inlet within limited property on the southern end of the estuary. The analysis maximized water exchange within East Harbor while minimizing impoundment at inlet structures extending into Cape Cod Bay. Methods include an analysis of the natural and altered channel equilibrium and flow characteristics; a sediment budget for the bay shoreline; and numerical modeling of waves, currents, and sediment transport. Numerical model results agree with channel equilibrium area calculations.