The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, announced the availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) for the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet Stabilization Project and the opening of the window for the public to submit written comments regarding it.
With the passage of the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, the Army Corps has been given the authority and funding to complete ongoing coastal storm damage risk management projects and studies in the Northeast, including the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet project, which had been previously proposed for construction but was never constructed.
As part of the planning and implementation process for the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet project, the New York District has updated prior engineering and design efforts, physical surveys, and environmental compliance in putting together the recently completed Draft Hurricane Sandy Limited Re-evaluation Report (HSLRR).
The proposed Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet project calls for the placement of roughly 7 million cubic yards of sand through three contracts to reinforce the existing dune and berm system along the island.
The selected design includes beachfill at Robert Moses State Park, the Fire Island Lighthouse Tract, all of the communities outside of Federal Tracts, and Smith Point County Park. Where feasible, dunes constructed as part of this project will be tied into existing natural dunes in Federal Tracts.
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Press Release, March 18, 2014