Coastal storms have severely impacted the North Atlantic Coast of the United States, including the New York-New Jersey Harbor region.  In response to these storms, the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is investigating measures to manage future flood risk in ways that support the long-term resilience and sustainability of the coastal ecosystem and surrounding communities, and reduce the economic costs and risks associated with flood and storm events.  In support of this goal, the Corps completed the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study, which identified nine high-risk, focus areas on the north Atlantic Coast for further in-depth analysis into potential coastal storm risk management measures.  One of the nine areas identified was the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries study area.

In cooperation with our partners, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New York Department of State and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, we are seeking public input on the proposed tentatively selected plan (TSP), Alternative 3B. Information on the public meeting is as follows:  

DATE:  Thursday, December 15, 2022
TIME: 2-4pm and 6-8pm
LOCATION: Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004. Sessions will be in the Auditorium.

DIRECTIONS: Subway: 4/5 to Bowling Green; 1 to Rector Street or South Ferry; J/Z to Broad Street; 2/3 to Wall Street; R to Whitehall Street. Bus: M5, M15, M20. Parking garages in the vicinity.

Additional public meetings in locations around the study area are being planned and will be advertised to the public in advance. The project website will also provide details of upcoming public meetings.

The New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries (NYNJHAT) coastal storm risk management feasibility study resumed work in fiscal year 2022 in earnest (following substantial curtailment during 2020-2021 due to lack of federal funding).  The non-federal sponsors for the study are the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in partnership also with the New York State Department of State and New York City, represented by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.

A Notice of Intent for preparing the NYNJHAT study Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released on August 22, 2022.  The Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 EIS (Draft Report) was released in late September and is available, along with the various appendices at the links on the left side of this website).   The formal Notice of Availability for the Tier 1 EIS will be released shortly, formally initiating the public review associated with the National Environmental Policy Act.  Given the complexity of the NYNJHAT study, the vast and populated study area, and the goal of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and our non-federal partners to have maximum public engagement and input to the NYNJHAT study, the public comment period will be extended to January 6, 2023.

USACE, in concert with the non-federal partners, is planning a series of public meetings on the Draft Report as part of a broader public outreach effort.  Virtual (online) meetings will be scheduled on the Draft Report in October followed by in-person meetings in November and December at several locations to be chosen across the vast NYNJHAT study area.  Some of these meetings (or excerpts) will be recorded and made available online at this website for those that may wish to see the presentations virtually.  In addition, when requested and feasible, USACE will seek to present to existing public meetings (e.g., community boards or other organizations) during this public review period.  Please check this website and social media accounts to see the list of upcoming public meeting locations, dates and times where the NYNJHAT study Draft Report will be presented.

The public is invited to submit comments (via email noted below, or via mail) on the NYNJHAT study Draft Report between now and January 6, 2023, when the comment period will close.

There is a considerable amount of work to be done in the remaining phases of the NYNJHAT study and details to be determined.  That work will be focused and informed based on the feedback that USACE receives on the Draft Report from our non-federal partners, other agencies, stakeholder groups, and the public.  This will lead to development of the Final Feasibility Report and Tier 1 EIS which will then be used to develop the study’s final product, the Chief of Engineer’s Report, which is currently approved to be released by June 15, 2024. 

USACE hopes that the description and details of the Tentatively Selected Plan that is contained in the Draft Report and the rationale for its tentative selection will serve as a good framework for further plan refinements leading to ultimately a broadly supportable, engineeringly feasible, economically justified, and environmentally acceptable plan for addressing coastal storm risk for this highly urbanized and nationally important study area.  Given the uncertainties associated with future climate change (including sea level rise) along with other complexities, the final recommended plan will likely have components that are layered in application, phased in implementation, and able to be adapted over time.  Regardless of what USACE ultimately recommends as a result of this study, the involved federal, state and local elected officials, based largely on the views and comments raised by the public, will decide what to authorize and fund to address the substantial coastal storm flood risks that still remain in the NYNJHAT study area now and as exacerbated into the future by further sea level rise.

The public is invited to submit comments by mail to:

NYNJHAT Study Team, Planning Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
26 Federal Plaza, 17^th Floor
New York, NY 10279-0090 

or by e-mail to: NYNJHarbor.TribStudy@usace.army.mil

Please include the project title and the commenter's contact information with submitted comments. Comments are always welcome and will be considered in the study as it continues.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed a report detailing the results of a two-year study to address coastal storm and flood risk to vulnerable populations, property, ecosystems, and infrastructure affected by Hurricane Sandy in the United States' North Atlantic region.

This, the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study, is designed to help local communities better understand changing flood risks associated with climate change and to provide tools to help those communities better prepare for future flood risks. It builds on lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy and attempts to bring to bear the latest scientific information available for state, local, and tribal planners.

The conclusions of the study, as detailed in the final report, include several findings, outcomes, and opportunities, such as the use of a nine-step Coastal Storm Risk Management Framework that can be customized for any coastal watershed. 

Map of study area

Potential effects of anticipated sea level change to coastal communities by 2100 (at a non-specific location)