Army Corps Holding Public Meetings On Back Bays Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Nassau County, are hosting public meetings regarding the Nassau County Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management study on June 12 in Freeport and on June 27 in Long Beach.

The Army Corps, in partnership with the state and county, is conducting a feasibility study for coastal storm risk management problems within the Nassau County Back Bays area, which extends approximately 30 miles along the coast, primarily in Nassau County, but also in adjacent portions of Queens and Suffolk. The study area includes all of the tidally influenced bays and estuaries connected to the south shore of Nassau County on the Atlantic Ocean. The study will investigate problems and solutions to reduce damages from coastal flooding that affects population, critical infrastructure, critical facilities, property, and ecosystems.

The Army Corps released a status report on April 30 which includes information on work completed to date, potential alternatives under consideration and details on next steps. Some of the measures that will be discussed at the public meetings include structural solutions such as storm surge barriers, tide gates, levees and floodwalls; non-structural solutions such as elevating homes; and natural features such as marsh restoration and the creation of living shorelines. The final plan may also include recommendations of policy items such as floodplain management and Community Rating System enhancement opportunities.

The public is invited to attend the meetings to learn more about the study process and current status. In addition, the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the study and interact with project team members. Additional public meetings may be scheduled in July or August. The meetings are:

• From 5 to 7 p.m. on June 12 at Freeport Village Hall, Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 46 N. Ocean Ave., Freeport.
• From 5 to 7 p.m. on June 27 at City Hall (6th floor), 1 West Chester St., Long Beach.

For more information or to read the status report, click here.