Inlet Processes at Eel Pond, Falmouth, Massachusetts

This report describes a combined office and field study designed to define the causes of a shoaling problem at the entrance to a small craft harbor. The office study consisted of an evaluation of the history of inlet development and an analysis of available wind, current, and wave data. In addition, a one-dimensional numerical model was used to predict stability with varying inlet geometry and the addition of stabilizing structures. Field measurements used in model calibration included water level, current velocity, beach and nearshore sediment samples, bathymetric surveys, and bedform measurements. Inlet hydraulics were found to be dominated by flood tidal flow through Eel Pond into the adjoining Waquoit Bay, causing the pond to act as a sediment sink. Several modifications to the inlet geometry are proposed for reducing inlet shoaling rates. (Author)