The Long Beach community along the south shore of Long Island, N.Y. like so many others, experienced beach erosion as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
The Army Corps' New York District is now in the process of increasing resiliency at the Coastal Storm Risk Reduction Project along the shore of Long Beach with the commencement of Phase 2 -- an essential phase of the overall shore protection project. Four million cubic yards of sand are currently being pumped on to beaches starting at the Town of Hempstead through Long Beach.
It’s not typical that placement of sand along the shore is being accomplished while people enjoy that same beach, but that is just what is happening during the Summer months in Long Beach, NY. The project is crucial in strengthening the beach's resiliency and makes it more sustainable and reduces risks associated with severe storms.The project involves a 24 hour evolution of pumping 200 feet of beach each day.
Working with the City of Long Beach to keep the beaches open and refrain from interrupting beachgoers, the Corps is performing the construction at certain sections at a time on different dates rather than closing the entire beach for the sand placement duration. A portable pump is used to perform the sand placement where 2.4 million cubic yards ultimately will be pumped from off shore onto the beaches.
This involves using a dredge one mile offshore to perform the beach construction that involves a dredge that skims the sand from the bottom of the ocean from the borrow area and pumps sand onto the beaches. The borrow area is a designated area chosen to borrow sand and place it on the beach.
“When the sand comes out of the pump, it can be darker than most people expect because the sun doesn’t hit it that deep in the ocean” Said Janeen Minguillo, Project Engineer, and New York District. “After a few days in the sun, the sand bleaches out to its normal color.” Minguilo added.
Completed work
Along the beach the Corps has been building and rehabbing groins, (or jetty’s as they are commonly referred to), in order to mitigate sand erosion and provide a buffer. The Corps rehabilitated several groins and constructed new ones over past several months.Stones for the groins required to be transported over land in trucks from offsite, while others were removed from their setting, cleaned and repaired, and either were put back or replaced entirely.With its partners, the Corps worked hard in order to ensure the entire process was accomplished prior to the 2018 beach season.
Dual purpose = Shore protection and recreation
For most of the day there is a seemingly never ending line of people traveling from the nearby railroad station from northern inland locations to make the trek to enjoy the beach.The beach offers various forms of recreation and more overall space for beachgoers, and soon they will a stretch of more sand of beach to enjoy.The Corps is adding about 150 feet of extra beach along the shoreline at Long Beach, this addition will certainly improve the quality of life and primarily, reduce the risk of flooding, loss of property and infrastructure for residents and businesses. The next phase of the project, the Crops will construct crossovers and dunes to further protect property and critical infrastructure in Long Beach. The features will work together to further protect the miles of boardwalk filled with businesses, residents, and beachgoers alike.