Lawmakers Implore Hochul To Save Ditch Plains From 'Catastrophic Harm'

MONTAUK, NY — Lawmakers have issued an urgent appeal to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul for matching funds to help tackle severe erosion at Ditch Plains in Montauk; the beach was badly battered by recent storms, putting downtown Montauk at risk, they said.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele and New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo have responded to East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez’s urgent appeal for matching funds to spearhead critical beach restoration at Ditch Plains by making a formal request to Hochul on the town’s behalf.

The pressing need for the financial support is a result of the recent storm events occurring on December 18, 2023, January 9 and 10, 2024, and January 12, 2024, "which have inflicted severe damage to the beach," lawmakers said. "The current beach profile at Ditch Plain is non-existent and down to the hard pan. These funds would help combat climate change and increase coastal resiliency in one of the town’s most vulnerable areas."

The prime objective is to protect the neighborhood from flooding and to restore the beach and dunes for the 2024 summer season, all agree.

In their letter to Hochul, Thiele and Palumbo underscored the imminent threat to public safety and infrastructure caused by ongoing coastal erosion and storm impacts.

Members of the East Hampton town board continue to visit the area to assess the magnitude of the damage and the need for immediate remedial action. By town board resolution, they have enlisted the services of Dr. Henry Bokuniewicz, Distinguished Service Professor of Oceanography at Stony Brook University, and the director of the Institute for Coastal Ocean Strategies, to consult on renourishment plans. The town board has also retained Robert H. Fox and Sea Level Mapping to survey the existing beach profile to determine the quantity of sand needed to restore the beach, the supervisor said.

Burke-Gonzalez added: "The town board is grateful for Assemblyman Thiele and Senator Palumbo’s response on the town’s behalf, and we remain committed to working collaboratively with our government partners, Ditch Plain residents, and community organizations to achieve a swift and effective restoration of this beloved beach."

In their letter, Thiele and Palumbo wrote, saying the storms "have put these areas at grave risk of catastrophic harm from future storms. We are only halfway through the current winter season."

They added that downtown Montauk is part of an imminent federal project under the Fire Island to Montauk Point, or FIMP, project.

"It is imperative that the needed repairs necessitated by the impacts of the recent storms be incorporated into the currently approved work plan for this project," they wrote. "The damage from these storms has been surveyed and reviewed by the New York State DEC. The inclusion of these additions is imperative to ensure the ultimate success of this shoreline protection project."

Second, they said, the Ditch Plains area is not included as part of the pending federal project.

"Repeated requests to the United State Army Corps of Engineers to include this area in FIMP
have been rejected as not meeting federal criteria. Regardless, as can be seen from the attached
photographs, the Ditch Plains area faces imminent danger from any future coastal storm."

Homes and infrastructure has been damaged, they said.

While the town is evaluating the implementation of its own project at Ditch Plains to augment federal efforts at shoreline protection in Montauk, the project symbolizes "an unexpected and
substantial cost for the town to undertake," Thiele and Palumbo said. "Consequently, we are requesting state financial involvement in this project, like the state’s efforts with the Town of Babylon at Fire Island."

Specifically, the lawmakers requested that the state participate in the project with the town on a 50/50 matching basis, perhaps from funds available from the State Environmental Protection Fund or another state funding source.

"Because of the immediate danger presented by this situation, we request the immediate
attention of your administration to this matter," they wrote.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has begun a comprehensive all-sand beach nourishment project along the downtown Montauk coastline, commencing on January 15.

The all-sand beach and dune replenishment project is part of the FIMP project. Approximately 450,000 cubic yards of sand will be added to reinforce the existing dunes and
beachfront. The total estimated project cost is about $11,250,000 and will include beach fill, sand fencing, dune grass plantings, and vehicular and pedestrian access point repairs. One hundred percent of the downtown Montauk sand-only beach restoration project will be paid
for by state and federal funds, the town said.

Sand will be dredged from an offshore borrow-site by a 480-foot-long suction hopper dredge
vessel named The Ellis Island.