Falmouth Coastal Resiliency

What will our town’s coastline look like in 2070?

By Dean Lundgren, President, Davisville Civic Association

In view of its topical relevance, we expect to have as our 2022 Annual Meeting Speaker an individual knowledgeable about the recently completed Town of Falmouth Report on Coastal Resiliency, which was presented to the Select Board during 2021. We will plan a presentation and question/answer session to follow. You can find more information related to this comprehensive report on the Town of Falmouth website. In our view, all Davisville homeowners are well-served to be familiar with the contents of this report.

Falmouth has 95 miles of coastline, likely the largest of all the 15 Cape Cod towns, with 14 distinct embayments or coastal ponds, having adjacent inland areas which are low lying, densely developed and subject to coastal flooding, storm surge, and future sea level rise. Our Davisville peninsula is one of those fourteen areas, located between Green Pond to the west and Bournes Pond to the east. Our Falmouth coastline is subject to several significant natural forces: Erosion; Nor’easters; Hurricanes and Tropical Storms; Flooding; and Potential Sea Level Rise.

Projected 100-Year Storm Water Level at Mitchell Bath House on Surf Drive in Falmouth. Courtesy of the Falmouth Coastal Resiliency Action Committee.

This comprehensive report models potential scenarios for the years 2030, 2050, and 2070. Davisville and Cape Cod are wonderful areas, which is part of the reason that we as property owners have chosen to settle here. However, it is also prudent to be aware of risks and consider possible plans to respond to the issues surfaced in this report.