NLWC News

MA DEP Visits Geotube Expansion Site in Sconset

Anna Day • July 31, 2025

In April 2025, the Nantucket Land & Water Council (NLWC) joined over a dozen Nantucket residents—including members of the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy, property owners in Quidnet, and the Greenhill family—in filing a Request for a Superseding Order of Conditions (SOC) with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). This action was taken in response to the positive Order of Conditions issued by the Nantucket Conservation Commission on March 20, 2025, which approved a three fold expansion of the ’Sconset Bluff Geotube project.

On Monday, June 23, Whitney McClees, Environmental Analyst with MassDEP, conducted a site visit to inspect the area in ’Sconset where the proposed geotube expansion would take place. This site visit is part of the state’s permitting process under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, which was triggered by two separate SOC filings: one from the owners of two Baxter Road properties and the other joint request from the NLWC and the resident coalition a.k.a. “The Residents Group.”

The NLWC has long opposed the geotube project and any proposed expansion, based on several key concerns. Chief among them is that the project—even with the current conditions—fails to meet the performance standards outlined in the state’s Wetlands Protection regulations. Analyses conducted by NLWC’s coastal consultant, as well as the Greenhill family’s engineering consultant, used SBPF’s own monitoring data to show that:

  • The existing geotubes have caused significant damage to adjacent public beaches, at times eliminating a walkable beach in front of the structure.
  • The geotubes have accelerated erosion of the coastal banks to the north.

Additionally, the geotube structure remains out of compliance with its original permit due to SBPF’s failure to provide the required mitigation sand since 2016. This ongoing violation led the Conservation Commission to issue a removal order, which was upheld by Superior Court and remains outstanding.

To help brief Ms. McClees ahead of the visit, The Residents Group prepared a detailed Pre-Briefing Slide Deck, which outlines the major issues of concern and includes hyperlinks to supporting documentation.

Click HERE for our Geotube Project Pre-Briefing Slide Deck

The SOC filing has also triggered a requirement for the project proponents to submit documentation to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office. MassDEP will not advance its review of the SOC until MEPA review is complete.

If you’re interested in learning more about this project, please review the Geotube Project Pre-Briefing Slide Deck and stay tuned for further updates!

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