As many of you are by now aware, my favorite body of water in Newport, RI is - besides the ocean - Gooseneck Cove. Over the course of this winter Gooseneck Cove has been undergoing a thorough restoration project, with the intent of improving tidal flow throughout the whole length of the Cove and restoring the surrounding salt marsh to its original state. You can look at the whole project here on Save the Bay's website. Basically, they've eliminated an old Army Corps of Engineers dam, placed a larger culvert under Hazard Rd., and place a huge three-culvert flow-through under Ocean Drive. What this does is allow a much freer and increased tidal flow of salt water all the way up to the farthest reaches of the Cove. It also released water that was dammed up by Hazard Rd., the old dam, and the Ocean Drive causeway (also known a the Green Bridge); releasing this backwater will narrow the channels and allow a build-up of more salt marsh, and that in turn will lure more Winter waterfowl and Summer wading birds to the area. We're all very excited by this.
Last week they finished installing the culvert under the Ocean Drive causeway, and on Sunday I went down there expressly to look at the situation. Wow! There is some serious water flowing through those culverts! I took some pictures, but I almost wish I'd had a sound recorder so you all could hear the power of that water flowing through (the tide was on the ebb, so it was flowing out of the Cove and into the ocean). So my Theme Thursday pictures this week are of the water flowing free in Gooseneck cove for the first time in almost a century.
Last week they finished installing the culvert under the Ocean Drive causeway, and on Sunday I went down there expressly to look at the situation. Wow! There is some serious water flowing through those culverts! I took some pictures, but I almost wish I'd had a sound recorder so you all could hear the power of that water flowing through (the tide was on the ebb, so it was flowing out of the Cove and into the ocean). So my Theme Thursday pictures this week are of the water flowing free in Gooseneck cove for the first time in almost a century.
For this week's video extra, I couldn't resist posting David Byrne and the Talking Heads doing "Take Me To the River" from the movie Stop Making Sense. This is my all-time favorite concert movie; David Byrne is a freaking genius!
© 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger
nice roy. the first pic of the water flowing is my fav. think it has to do witht he little color and contrast to the concrete. a shame what we are doing to our water, what will we do when it is gone?
ReplyDeleteVery cool - thanks for sharing the story and the pics! I hope the changes bring everything you all are hoping for.
ReplyDeletePUSH me in the WA-ter! WooHoo! I'm dancin' over here at WM this morning!!
ReplyDeleteits very relaxing to listen to flowing water, no?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great project! I've always loved the water... ponds, lakes, oceans, rivers, and the Cape Cod Canal.
ReplyDeletekudos to the restoration project! that water is so crystalline!
ReplyDeletegreat song.... I agree about david, that boy is a friggin' genius!
Yet another wonderful post!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I always love your photos. One can really see the power of the rushing water.
ReplyDeleteLove that song too.
I love Talking Heads. Seriously nice photos. It's hard to capture moving water.
ReplyDeleteWater is one of my favorite elements, I can sit and watch it flow all day...
ReplyDeleteFinally! After a century I can almost hear the land sighing the relief of a woman removing her girdle to relax in the freedom of her own body. Loved all the pics but the contrasts in the first one were striking. Hard against soft. Movement against non-movement. Gray against green.
ReplyDelete...one of my favorite songs from college! Loved the shots of the water too...
ReplyDeleteThat's great news about Gooseneck Cove. Thank you for sharing that story, and also for expanding my musical horizons. I've heard of Talking Heads, but until this morning I had never heard or seen them. If I google them, will I find out what's with the lead singer's pants? Is that David Byrne? btw, I loved the song and the performance. It was just those pants.....
ReplyDeletealways liked that song. Glad they're working at restoring the salt flats.
ReplyDeleteGood to get a reminder about Newport, RI. Haven't been there since the mid 90s, but am considering a visit in a couple of weeks when I'm heading to Massachusetts, as it isn't too far away :-)
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone ever drown in there?
ReplyDeleteNice post! Good news the salt marsh is going to be revived.
ReplyDeleteLike the song Take Me to the River. It's well done.
Thank you for stopping by. I didn't know the song Sur le Pont d'Avignon. I found it on youtube and now I know why it is an earworm.
I can't imagine how wonderful the restoration will be...your pictures show that your little piece of heaven is oh so wonderful already!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing I will be looking forward to updates!
I love the photos. The third photo is very cool. I can see a face in it.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I think I don't really like Talking Heads, somebody reminds me why I should...
ReplyDeleteNice shots of the water, Roy. There is more water than land. I think.
ReplyDeleteHaha I thought you were going to post Once in a Lifetime . . all that water flowig, water flowing, same as it ever was! . . .Great that they're restoring the salt marsh to it's former glory.
ReplyDeleteTalking Heads, GOOD CHOICE! yeah baaby! I love them.
ReplyDeletetalking heads. i haven't heard them in a long time
ReplyDeleteI loved the song, but truly what was wrong with those pants. I could not stop looking at them while watching the video. Somehow something was so wrong with them.
ReplyDeleteVery nice pictures and it is nice that they are fixing what they have destroyed. This needs to be done more often.
Thank you for sharing the info about this.
God bless.
Great waterflow pics and great news that somebody somewhere is finally figuring out the value of harmony with nature as opposed to the conquering attitude.
ReplyDeleteRousing Talking Heads, too. I hadn't seen it before. Thanks.
I can just about hear the rush of the water in your pictures as it flows through the new culvert. Reminds me of some parks near here, but nothing here seems as ambitious as this project. Thanks for explaining it. I learned something new!
ReplyDelete