The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, in conjunction with the Town of East Hampton, recently completed dredging the channel at Lake Montauk Harbor ⎼ a heavily-trafficked waterway on Eastern Long Island ⎼ increasing its depth from -12 to approximately -17 feet.
87,000 Cubic Yards of Sand
The Lake Montauk Harbor Navigation Improvement Project removed approximately 87,000 cubic yards of sand and some 10,000 cubic yards of clay, allowing commercial, recreational and U.S. Coast Guard vessels to navigate safely. The Army Corps awarded an $8.9 million contract to H&L Contracting, LLC; the Town of East Hampton, the local sponsor, cost-shared the project and contributed an additional $1.1 million .
LAKE MONTAUK HARBOR CHANNEL
The channel leading to Lake Montauk Harbor is 0.7-miles long and 150 feet wide; the harbor also serves as a refuge during severe storms. Last winter the New York District expedited emergency dredging as several areas had an unusual build-up of sand (shoaling). The work provided safe navigation until this planned dredging took place.
Dredged sand was placed on the shoreline directly west of the inlet jetty where prevailing currents will help replenish sand on eroded areas of shoreline to the west. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) provided a permit modification allowing placement of dredged material for beneficial re-use. Clay material excavated from the channel was removed and transported offsite for disposal.
CHANNEL HISTORY
The Lake Montauk Harbor Channel was created by real-estate developer Carl Fisher in the 1920s, cutting a permanent passageway from Lake Montauk Harbor to Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. The Army Corps of Engineers began maintaining the channel in 1945 through the Lake Montauk Harbor Federal Navigation Project authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act.
New York District Commander Col. Alexander Young stated: “We’re pleased with deepening the channel at Lake Montauk Harbor ⎼ home to New York State’s largest commercial fishing fleet and a significant contributor to the region’s economy. Servicing federal navigation channels is an important mission of the Army Corps of Engineers ⎼ our District dredges hundreds of miles of waterways in New York and New Jersey.”
NEW YORK DISTRICT PERSONNEL
The initiative was managed by New York’s Project Delivery Team ⎼ a group of Army Corps interdisciplinary professionals that oversee planning and design, finance, construction, contracting and legal issues. Team members include:
Frank Verga Project Management
Nicholas Garrisi Construction
Kevin Merenda Construction
Eli Greenblatt Engineering
Jamal Sulayman Engineering
Suzana Rice Engineering
Catherine Alcoba Environmental
Sophie Killy Environmental
Jenine Gallo Environmental
Sean Martin Environmental
PRIOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS
The Corps has completed additional projects for the Montauk community in the recent past: a new armor-stone revetment (wall) protecting Montauk Lighthouse ⎼ a National Historic Landmark standing less than 100 feet from the Atlantic Ocean ⎼ and the Downtown Montauk Stabilization Project renourishing the community beach with 450,000 cubic yards of sand and dunes creating a wider shoreline reducing flood-risk from severe storms and tidal surges.