A Sourati Engineering Group employee surveyed the Gay Head cliffs in August 2012 as part of the work for a recently completed erosion study.
MV Times: Erosion cut the distance between the imperiled Gay Head Lighthouse and the edge of the bluff on which its now sits as much as five feet during the year ended in August, according to the results of an erosion study released last week by the Save the Gay Head Lighthouse Committee (SGHLC), which has mounted a multi-million dollar effort to save the iconic Martha’s Vineyard beacon.
“The results of the most recent erosion study conducted on the cliffs surrounding Gay Head Lighthouse demonstrate the unpredictability of the rate of erosion and underscore the need to act quickly to avoid a worst-case scenario,” the committee said in a press release.
Results from two surveys taken by George Sourati of Sourati Engineering Group in Vineyard Haven, one on August 8, 2012 and again August 7, 2013, were compared in the press release. The latest survey revealed that the top of the bluff surrounding the lighthouse had eroded in several areas.
According to the press release, a 25-foot portion southeast of the lighthouse eroded an average of four feet, with the largest loss in that area being five feet; a 15-foot section east of the lighthouse eroded an average of two feet; and a 20-foot section north of the light eroded an average of 18 inches. Continue reading….