Beach Nourishment Project 'Exceeds Expectations': Supervisor

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A beach renourishment project in Sagaponack, Bridgehampton and Water Mill is exceeding all expectations, according to Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

Based on the third annual beach monitoring update in 2016, more sand exists in the projects areas than existed three years earlier, according to Schneiderman.

The annual monitoring along the six miles of Sagaponack, Bridgehampton and Water Mill ocean beaches extending from Flying Point Road to Townline Road also identified that there has been over 310,000 cubic yards of accretion, or growth, within the dunes of the project area which will provide increased and sustainable nature and nature based protection to the shoreline, a release said.

“The survey just conducted by our project team in July, 2016 shows that the beach is now wider than originally constructed, the dunes have grown materially and the project has performed above everyone’s high expectations,” Schneiderman said.

Between October 2013 and February 2014, more than 2.5 million cubic yards of sand were dredged from one mile offshore and placed along almost six miles of beach in Sagaponack, Bridgehampton and Water Mill

Almost entirely funded by oceanfront owners through special taxing districts, the $25 million project widened the beach by 150 feet, Schneiderman said.

The survey was conducted as part of the nourishment project engineered by Coastal Science & Engineering of Columbia, South Carolina and directed by First Coastal of Westhampton Beach.

The Town of Southampton administered the project for two specially created Beach Erosion Control Districts in Sagaponack and Bridgehampton- Water Mill, Schneiderman said.

“Bridgehampton, Sagaponack and Water Mill have more sand in place this summer than the day pumping finished in February, 2014. It is also clear from the success of our project that everyone benefits from wide beaches,” said Jeff Lignelli of the Bridgehampton-Water Mill BECD Advisory Board.

Alan Stillman of the Sagaponack BECD Advisory Board added, “The ocean residents worked together to restore this world class beach for all Southampton residents.”

According to Aram Terchunian, coastal geologist with First Coastal, the wider summer beach will feed the dunes and provide better storm protection, and the healthier beach will provide more habitats for threatened and endangered species, as well as people.

Tim Kana of Coastal Science and Engineering said that many factors affect performance. “The project is performing well because it covers a relatively long segment of coast,” he said. “The sand quality was excellent. And the historical erosion rate along the Town of Southampton beaches has been moderate. Timing after Sandy helped but if the BECDs had not nourished the beach, conditions today would likely be dramatically worse than before Sandy.”

Patch file photo.