Federal Help On The Way For Storm-Ravaged Dune Road

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — Help is on the way for storm-ravaged Dune Road in Hampton Bays.

According to Rep. Lee Zeldin, on Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open a solicitation of bids for the West of Shinnecock Inlet, or WOSI, Dune Road Project. The project will include the placement of approximately 600,000 to 800,000 cubic yards of sand to restore the area to its 2005 authorization level, "which would be a better, more robust outcome than simply restoring this area to its recent 2019 pre-storm level," Zeldin said.

A series of storms have socked the dunes on the ocean side of Dune Road in recent months, leading to severe flooding, washovers and a near breach just west of Shinnecock Inlet, the congressman said.

“This is an urgent situation along Dune Road affecting our community’s small businesses and jobs, and I am encouraged that the Army Corps is doing everything in its power within federal law to respond quickly and effectively to this urgent matter,” Zeldin said. “The Army Corps has even sped up the bid process, which significantly reduces the timeline for bidding and start of construction. This week’s progress is continued good news for our local economy and the restaurants and other businesses, including the second largest commercial fishing dock in New York, that operate in the affected area."

After another breach in December — one that led to a seal becoming trapped — Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said he spoke with the United States Army Corps of Engineers; Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming set up the call and participated, too, he said.

"ACE has gotten an emergency waiver to reduce their procurement process from 90 days down to 10 days. That is great news," Schneiderman said. "So now we are expecting the federal dredge to arrive by mid-to-late January."

In addition, Schneiderman said, Bill Hillman, chief engineer for Suffolk County, was developing a plan to prevent a breach until the federal dredge arrives.

Zeldin weighed in after the call with Tom Asbery, Commander of the New York District of the Army Corps of Engineers, regarding the most recent washover on Dune Island just west of Shinnecock Inlet.

"I'm grateful to Col. Asbery and his team for their continued hard work and partnership all across New York's 1st congressional district," he said.

After December's new storm, a new breach emerged on plagued Dune Road — and that time, the flooding led to a seal that ended up trapped by the commercial dock in Hampton Bays.

"Apparently a harbor seal had crossed through the opening last night and was trapped at the commercial dock when the berm was built, according to harbormaster Chris Fraser," Schneiderman said.

A marine mammal rescue came and rescued the seal, which appeared to be in good health, Schneiderman said.

"The area at the east end of Dune Road remains extremely vulnerable and we are watching the weather and tides very closely," the supervisor added. "The town lacks the resources to prevent a breach in this area and we are calling for assistance from county state and federal agencies."

In November, elected officials gathered on Dune Road to assess the ongoing need for help in an area that has seen nearly catastrophic flooding in recent months.

Zeldin, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Hillman, and Schneiderman met on Dune Road for a site visit.

The visit followed multiple recent storms that caused severe damage to the dunes along the ocean side and led to severe flooding and a near breach of the barrier island just west of Shinnecock Inlet where many small businesses and jobs are located, including the second largest commercial dock in New York State, Zeldin said.

Zeldin said he and and his office have been in "frequent contact" with the Army Corps regarding the county's reimbursement request for prior and ongoing work on Dune Road and has also been in touch with Weeks Marine, which has two dredges currently at Fire Island Pines, regarding the possibility of moving at least one of its vessels east to assist with the emergency project.

Last year, the Army Corps, operating under an emergency declaration, utilized $12 million in federal funding for an emergency dredge of Moriches Inlet, after storms caused severe shoaling and left the inlet unnavigable, Zeldin said. Next, the Army Corps undertook a three-mile dredge of the Long Island Intracoastal Waterway, he said.

Schneiderman has also reached out for help with the "critical condition" on Dune Road, flooding that he said could soon become a disaster if not addressed.

After four emergency declarations on battered Dune Road near the commercial fishing dock in Hamptons Bays, Schneiderman reached out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation via a letter requesting rehabilitation assistance.

"I write to advise of a critical condition at the West of Shinnecock Inlet project that imminently threatens life, property and resources of the people of the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County and New York State and to seek additional state and federal assistance to avoid a disaster," Schneiderman said. "Although I understand that the State of New York has already approached the US Army Corps of Engineers for ... assistance and that such assistance is 'in the pipeline', I fear without added impetus that help will come too late."

Storms beginning on Oct. 10 have repeatedly over washed Dune Road and are actively flooding portions of the commercial fish dock, local marinas and restaurants as well as eliminating access to public lands, Schneiderman said.

"To date the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County Department of Public Works and New York State Department of Transportation have been undertaking emergency measures to shore up the dunes and prevent over washes that threatened to breach the barrier island and destroy the commercial fishing dock, private marinas, and restaurants and smother productive wetlands," he wrote.

Over the last several weeks, town, county and state crews have moved more than 5,000 cubic yards of sand to prevent over washing and breaching; together the town and county have spent more than $400,000 in the last three weeks, the supervisor said.

"Unfortunately, these efforts have been unsuccessful in stopping major ocean waves and tides from washing over Dune Road," he wrote. "The locally sourced sand supplies have almost been exhausted and the town and county crews are being forced to scrape sand off the road to push back in the small berm holding back the Atlantic Ocean."

Suffolk County, he added, has advanced a scheduled dredging of a nearby navigation channel for an additional 90,000 cubic yards of sand to try and stabilize the "imminent flooding and erosion catastrophe. Unfortunately, almost all of 20,000 cubic yards of the nearly 45,000 cubic yards placed to date were washed away in two days."

Without the planned major beach restoration effort as designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the WOSI project, "this area will be the latest breach in the barrier island, threatening lives, destroying natural resources and severing critical infrastructure," the supervisor said.

In November, after the fourth state of emergency in a month, a breach was stayed and Dune Road was once again open to the public.

Schneiderman reported that the dune "was all put back together," with Suffolk County dredging and building sand up in the impacted area of Dune Road near the commercial fishing dock in Hampton Bays.

But the relief was just a stopgap measure, the supervisor said. "It's getting more and more dire. If there's another storm it's going to be very difficult to stop a breach in that area."

Fleming agreed. Surveying Dune Road, she said relieved property owners had come to check on their boats. "The breach has been stayed again but we need help from our federal partners," she said.

"The sand barrier is thin and will not withstand a minor storm," the supervisor said. "We need federal help with this from the United States Army Corp of Engineers."