With only one month to go before Labor Day weekend brings the traditional end of beach season, the damage wrought this winter by severe storms is still very much in evidence at Little Compton’s South Shore Beach.

Seasonal attendance is down, cleanup costs are up, and beach lovers are nostalgic for past seasons when they could spread their blankets on sand, rather than the cobble now strewn along much of the beach.

“The three nor’easters that hit all of the New England Coast did quite a bit of damage to South Shore,” beach manager Jim Farrell said. “It changed the topography and dumped a ton of cobble all over the place. Most of South Shore is now loose cobble.”

When undertaking cleanup work, the town must adhere to the provisions of a maintenance permit issued by the RI Coastal Resources Management Council that is renewed every three years.

“Our permit allows us to redo the parking lot every year. This year, we probably had two feet of cobble dumped in the parking lot that all had to be cleared out,” said Farrell.

He said the impact on attendance has been significant, with 80 percent of beach visitors parking at the South Shore lot and then walking to nearby Goosewing Beach Preserve, where conditions are more desirable.

Beach pass sales are down by 30 or 40 percent from previous years, he said, while noting this is the second bad year at the beach. During the 2023 summer season, almost half the weekends were rained out.

The parking lot is designed for about 250 cars, and it was common for the lot to reach capacity on weekends in years past.

“Prior to two years ago, we’d close almost any Saturday or Sunday, at least for a couple of hours when it was above 85 degrees,” said Farrell. “This year, we have had only one day where we’ve closed the parking lot – and that was just for an hour or so.”

In April, the town council approved a beach commission request authorizing the use of up to $60,000 from the town’s reserve fund to repair the extensive damage at the beach and parking area. Reimbursement to the fund comes from beach revenues that accrue throughout the summer. In presenting his request, commission member Don Medeiros said repair costs in a normal year are typically around $22,000.

Farrell said  Senator Jack Reed's office is working with the town in seeking support from the Army Corps of Engineers to help with beach protection and storm damage mitigation efforts. Plans also call for collaboration with the RI DEM for support, ideas, and the feasibility of undertaking a study on the future of the beach. In the meantime, the ever more costly spring cleanup, which takes place each year from late April through the end of May, will continue.