About the Merrimack River Beach Alliance
The Merrimack River Beach Alliance (MRBA) was a group created by Senator Bruce Tarr in 2008 to address the severe beach erosion on Plum Island and Salisbury Beach, to make progress on repairing the deteriorating Merrimack River jetties and to protect the homes and businesses on Plum Island and Salisbury Beach. The MRBA includes the City of Newburyport and the Towns of Newbury and Salisbury as well as our state legislators and interested federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations. The MRBA has met regularly over the years and has created a uniquely open, cooperative, consensus-driven coalition of concerned citizens, state and local elected officials, local conservation agents and coastal engineering consultants. Our meetings always include representatives of state and federal agencies that are involved in current and proposed coastal protection projects, such as the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (OCR) and its Division of Marine Fisheries, Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the United States Coast Guard, among others. Representatives of other coastal cities and towns in the region also attend our meetings as needed. Since its inception, the MRBA has made significant progress in achieving its goals. For example, with the help of federal funding provided through the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and matching state funding for projects such as dredging, Jetty repair and onshore placement of dredged sand. Our communities represent portions of two large barriers that, together, protect the larges blue carbon resource area in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the Coastal Communities in northeastern Massachusetts.
Our beaches and waterfronts are connected by geography, environment, and public use. Storms, erosion, sea level rise, and changing recreation patterns do not stop at municipal borders — and neither should our solutions.
By working together, the three communities can:
- Share data and planning resources
- Apply jointly for state and federal grants
- Coordinate construction and improvements
- Reduce costs and duplication
- Create a consistent, high-quality public experience
MRBA works closely with state and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and coastal experts to make sure our projects are well-designed, resilient, and environmentally responsible.