CHARLESTOWN, R.I. — Storm damage has prompted the town and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to advise boaters to be extra cautious when passing through the Charlestown Breachway, or to avoid it completely.

Due to damage over the years, most recently from the succession of very strong winter storms in 2023, one of the breachway’s rock walls has deteriorated, according to DEM, allowing water to pull sand in front of the breachway and into the channel. The buildup of sediment has raised the channel’s floor, leaving it at 2-3 feet deep at low tide, making it difficult for boaters to avoid getting beached or hitting rocks.

Three major storms between late December 2022 and early February 2023 eroded the adjacent beach, destroyed the dune system, and compromised the breachway structure. The storms created a breach in the wall, allowing continuous water flow through the opening.

The flow has brought additional sand into the channel, reducing circulation in Ninigret Pond and creating a significant hazard to navigation.

Town officials, DEM, and the Coastal Resources Management Council are in collaboration to determine how to effectively repair the breachway, according to DEM.