16 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2019
POINT OF VIEW
WATERFRONT PROTECTIONS SHORING UP COASTS
BY LEE ZELDIN
U.S. Representative for New York’s
1st District
In a district nearly completely surrounded
by water, we have a unique
responsibility to safeguard our local
waterways, from improving our area’s
water quality to bolstering our local
maritime infrastructure.
Since coming to Congress, I’ve worked
with commander of the New York
District of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Colonel Thomas Asbery
and his incredible team to secure
desperately needed victories, whether
it’s moving the Fire Island to Montauk
Point (FIMP) plan closer to implementation
or securing emergency East End
projects.
In 2018, a series of unprecedented
storms pummelled area waterways
and significantly worsened navigation
conditions, leaving Moriches
Inlet effectively impassable. I went
out to the inlet to see these dangerous
conditions firsthand, and was joined
by fishermen, business owners and
other stakeholders in calling for an
emergency dredge. Working with the
Army Corps of Engineers and others
at every level of government, I secured
the approval and $12 million in federal
funding needed to undertake this
emergency dredge. Equally as important,
the dredged sand was placed at
Smith Point County Park where it was
used to widen the beach, strengthen
the dunes and defend the beach against
future storms.
Already this year, multiple storms
have caused severe damage to the
dunes along the ocean side all along
our shores and, most significantly, led
to severe flooding and a near breach
of the barrier island just west of Shinnecock
Inlet where many small businesses
and jobs are located, including
the second largest commercial dock in
New York State.
In addition to calling on the Army
Corps to utilize any emergency authority
available to assist, my team and
I have been in frequent contact with
the Army Corps regarding any and all
possibilities to strengthen the dunes as
soon as possible.
Of course, we can’t jump from emergency
to emergency acting only when
we have no other choice, which, in
addition to focusing on strengthening
jetties and enacting other permanent
fixes, is why I’ve prioritized maintenance
dredging and projects that bolster
our dunes and berms and prevent
damage.
The hundreds of miles of coastline
that comprise our shores have been
forever ingrained in the culture and
livelihoods of Long Islanders, and continuing
to safeguard and invest in our
maritime infrastructure will preserve
our way of life for generations to come.
“We can’t jump from emergency to emergency.”
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