Marine Researchers Secure Dock Upgrade

The deepwater port at Woods Hole on Cape Cod has hosted research ves­sels for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu­tion (WHOI) for nearly 100 years.

WHOI has a world­wide reputation for oceanography. Its Iselin Marine Facility, located in the middle of Woods Hole village, is the homeport for WHOI’s ocean-going research vessels and underwater vehicle operations. The facility is also a hub for developing and testing new technologies, and an important contributor to the regional blue economy.

Unfortunately, the facility’s 57-year-old dock is nearing the end of its useful life, while facing threats from rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Many Permits, Years of Review

WHOI determined several years ago that repairs and maintenance to the existing dock, without major capital improvements, were not economically feasible, so the insti­tute developed plans to replace the facility with a new Complex for Waterfront Access to Exploration and Research (CWATER).

The project will include a redesigned and rebuilt pile-supported dock, bulkhead re­placement, dredging, new facilities for ro­botic vessels and a new building hosting labs and shops focused on water-dependent activities. CWATER will provide WHOI with a more resilient marine facility designed to withstand anticipated sea level rises and se­vere weather events for the next 80 years.

CWATER will impact several coastal re­source areas that are subject to state regula­tion. Therefore, WHOI was required to sub­mit an environmental notification form to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the project under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).

WHOI enjoyed an early success in the permitting process in 2020, when the secre­tary determined that WHOI could proceed without filing an environmental impact re­port for CWATER under MEPA.

However, WHOI still needed several per­mits for CWATER, including a Chapter 91 waterways license and a water quality cer­tificate from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, a wetlands order of conditions from the Falmouth Con­servation Commission, authorization from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit from the U.S. Department of Envi­ronmental Protection and federal consis­tency review from the Office of Coastal Zone Management.

WHOI was also required to consult with state and federal agencies to minimize the project’s impacts on nearby eelgrass mead­ows.

Waterfront permitting in Massachusetts is not for the faint of heart.

Community Feedback Built Consensus

After years of public hearings, neighbor­hood meetings and design changes to ac­commodate engineering challenges and pub­lic and governmental input, WHOI obtained its final permits for CWATER this year.

WHOI notably secured its permits with­out having to endure litigation or appeals. This success would not be possible without excellent public relations, and local appre­ciation for WHOI’s mission and reputation.

Part of WHOI’s strategy involved creation of a community advisory committee to pro­vide a mechanism for communication and feedback. WHOI also co-founded Resilient Woods Hole, which helps its Woods Hole neighbors to better understand how infra­structure improvements along Wood Hole’s coast are essential to protecting the village from the effects of climate change.

$100M Pier Project

However, one major challenge remains for CWATER – obtaining financing for a project that is expected to take seven years to complete at a cost of over $100 million.

WHOI is a private nonprofit that is not di­rectly tied to any governmental entities or public universities, so it depends heavily on federal and state grants and philanthropy. WHOI initially obtained a few million dol­lars in state grants for CWATER, and it also received some private grants for design and permitting. Construction can now begin in earnest.

WHOI had hoped to obtain major funding from the federal government, but those sources were largely eliminated from the federal budget this year.

For now, CWATER is expected to move forward in phases, as funding becomes available. The first phase of the project, scheduled to begin next year, will involve the construction of a robotics vehicle port with funds from the U.S. Navy. Finding reli­able sources of funding for later phases re­mains a challenge.

“CWATER will be an advanced, resilient facility that will provide access to the sea for our scientists, engineers, seafarers and technicians for the rest of this century,” Rob Munier, WHOI’s vice president of marine fa­cilities who has quarterbacked this project since its inception, told me. “It will serve as a classroom for future generations of oceanographers and an incubator for new technologies, ensuring continued leadership in our basic understanding of the ocean and enabling the discovery of solutions to criti­cal problems facing the Earth system – and humanity. The process of delivering CWA­TER is complex and we have achieved the critical ‘shovel-ready’ milestone. Now it is time to get wet!”

Download the article as seen in Banker & Tradesman on September 29, 2025. Learn more about Christopher R. Vaccaro.