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Image source: Rockaway 100th Precinct Community Affairs Facebook page

WNYC reports that a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers said at the Community Board 14 meeting Tuesday night that the Rockaway beaches probably won’t be back to normal by start of summer. Apparently the beaches out there need a ton – make that 1.5 million cubic yards – of sand; the Army Corps of Engineers will start to add sand at the start of the summer. BTW, an interesting factoid from the Army Corps – the Empire State Building could hold 1 million cubic yards of sand (that’s a lot of sand).

A rep from the Army Corps said that they are “working as fast as they can”:

“I certainly understand the concerns of citizens, they’ve taken a hard hit and it’s scary to wonder if it’s going to come back and get you. But we’re working as fast as we can to get the sand on the beach, and it will provide a significant level of protection where I hope people can feel safe until we get to the next phase constructed.”

In response to that, local Rockaway resident Barbara Kelly said, “It feels like there’s always a plan to make a plan to do a plan for study and then study the plan, and there’s no action, and the action that they’re proposing is in the future, far off, temporary, and I feel like it’s a giant waste of the funds that are available.”

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A few more thing to know about this project, thanks to Rockaway Help:

  • Federal law indicates that the beach “must be restored to its full operating level before the storm.” More sand can be added, too. Apparently, the beach will look more like it did in the 1990s after a sand replenishment project was finished. Right now, the plan is to “replenish sand over 10 feet above sea level and 100 feet wide from the beach wall or boardwalk.”
  • The Army Corps will bring 3.5 million cubic feet of sand back to Rockaway! This will double the size of the beach. In preparation for this, lots of paperwork is involved, including plan design, environmental permits, and securing the sand.
  • Work will be done in 1,000 foot increments, 24/7 for four days apiece. This also means parts of the beach will be open (the smaller segments means they don’t have to shut the whole thing down at once).
  • Replenishment areas lie from Beach 16 to Beach 149, and the Corps will create a “nice, big immense beach” there. This area does not include Breezy Point.
  • This process should start in June, but no promises there.

About that tentative June start date – hurricane season starts in June, and without the sand in place, the peninsula is very much at a disadvantage. High tides are also a concern to both residents and business owners. It is understandable then that the folks out there are feeling a sense of urgency to get the beaches rebuilt.

For storm-weary residents, sand replenishment plan not enough [rockawayhelp]
Rockaway Beaches Won’t Be Back to Normal for Summer: Army Corps [WNYC]


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