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NY&NJ HATS Interim Report

More about HATS

June 2022 Update:

The New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries coastal storm risk management feasibility study was not included in the Corps fiscal year 2020 or 2021 work plans for federal funding, so work on the study was substantially curtailed during those years with public meetings and engagements being postponed, along with delaying all upcoming milestones and reports.  The Notice of Intent (NOI) issued for the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the study was also withdrawn. 

However, In April 2021, the Corps was approved for further exemption (i.e., additional study time) by the Senior Official on behalf of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.  Also, as the study was included in the President's fiscal year 2022 budget request and appropriations bills developed in both houses of Congress, federal funding to the study was provided in October 2021 under the Continuing Resolution Authority and work on the study resumed in earnest.  Further, the study was identified in the work plan released on January 19, 2022 for the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act to receive $6,724,000 to fully fund the remainder of the study at 100% full federal expense.

So, while the study has and will be receiving funding to complete the study (as currently scoped), this did require amending the cost-sharing agreement with the study’s two non-federal sponsors.  This has slightly delayed the Corps tentatively selecting a plan to better manage current and future coastal storm risks for this critical and highly populated study area to July 2022.  Following this milestone, the Corps now is scheduling the release the Draft Feasibility Report and Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in September 2022, with the formal agency and public review and comments on these documents to follow.  Input received from this formal public review as well as comments from other federal, state and local agencies will help guide the Corps to refining and/or modifying the plan followed by further study evaluation and design.  This will lead to development of the Final Feasibility Report and Final Tier 1 EIS which is then used to develop the study’s final product, the Chief of Engineer’s Report, which is currently approved to be released no later than June 15, 2024.

The public is invited to submit comments by mail to:

NYNJHAT Study Team, Planning Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
26 Federal Plaza, 17th 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.

Public Meeting Materials

NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS)

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.

 

 

About the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study

Map of the Study Area

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

Projected Coastal Flood Increases: 2018 to 2118

Potential Impact of Anticipated Sea Level Change on Coastal Areas by 2100

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

Public Meeting Presentation