For the first time in more than 50 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is updating its master plan for the Cape Cod Canal.
Jonathan Dumais is the park manager for the Army Corps of Engineers on the Cape Cod Canal. He said the master plan serves as a guide for the Army Corps to manage the canal and more than 1,000 acres of surrounding land owned by the Army Corps.
The current master plan was approved in 1975. In 123 pages, it describes the canal area in great detail, down to the number of picnic benches in specific recreational areas.
It includes graphs showing how much cargo and how many ships traveled through the canal over time, descriptions of the topography and utility infrastructure and explanations of all the recreational uses of land around the canal. There are also suggestions for improvements, like planting more shade trees or adding paved walkways.
Dumais said the revision of the master plan is unlikely to impact recreational areas on Army Corps-owned land.
“We do lease out a few portions of the property, including the Bourne Scenic Park campground, the Gallo ice rink, the Sandwich Marina and the Scusset Beach State Reservation,” he said. “We would largely imagine those would remain unchanged because of the benefit to the public.”
According to Dumais, the reason the revision process didn’t start sooner is because the project goals in the master plan have not changed much over the years. The document talks about protecting land and water resources, allowing navigation through the canal and using the canal and surrounding land to provide recreational opportunities to the public.
While these goals have remained mostly the same, much of the information in the document hasn’t. For example, the cost to go camping at Bourne Scenic Park is listed as $3 per day. Now, daily rates for the park start at $67.
Dumais said the plan also needs to be updated to comply with new guidance issued by the Army Corps headquarters in 2013 relating to land use classifications. These classifications designate different types of land, which determines the land management strategies that will be used in those areas.
Since then, the Army Corps has been working to secure the necessary funding for the revision. With the funding in hand, the Army Corps has initiated the revision process, which is lengthy. Dumais said he expects a draft of the revised plan to be ready for public comment by March 2027.
“It allows us the opportunity to really focus on all elements that need to be taken into consideration when developing a new master plan that may last for many years to come,” he said.
The Army Corps opened an initial public comment period at the end of February. It ends Saturday, March 28. Those who wish to comment can call 508-759-4431 or send an email to CapeCodCanalMasterPlan@USACE.Army.Mil.
The Army Corps notes on its webpage dedicated to the revision process that the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges replacement project, flood risk management and water conservation is outside the scope of the master plan and will not be included.
