
Southampton Town officials say they will revive the push for approval of a massive beach nourishment project in Water Mill, Bridgehampton and Sagaponack to help restore beaches and dunes decimated by Hurricane Sandy this week.
The project still will be difficult to get done during the coming winter, however, and, in the meantime the town is encouraging oceanfront homeowners both east and west of the Shinnecock Inlet to dump tons of sand and erect walls of large sandbags in front of their homes to protect them from the ocean in the coming months.
Because of the emergency nature of the needed protection, with a nor’easter predicted to possibly hit the area midweek, the town and Town Trustees have waived all their normal approval requirements and approved the placement of sand with simple notifications to town officials, and will allow sandbagging—including the use of the giant, interwoven sandbags known as Geocubes—as long as the work is coordinated with town environmental officials. All fees and vehicle permit requirements have been waived as well.
“The immediate priority is for most homes, especially those that were undermined by the storm, to construct an emergency sand berm, and that it be done now so there is not additional damage,” Southampton Town Chief Environmental Analyst Marty Shea told a crowd of several dozen homeowners and consultants at Town Hall on Saturday morning. “Put the sand as high up from the surf line as possible, as close to your house as possible. We can work on redesigning the dune later.”
The town and state emergency permits do not allow the placement of rocks, steel cofferdams or Geotubes as protective measures. Mr. Shea said the Geocubes, which are linked together, are the preferred protection, because they deflect the energy of waves but allow water and sand to flow through them, so they do not cause erosion at their edges like hard structures.
With the foundations of dozens of houses in Sagaponack, Bridgehampton and Quogue entirely exposed and dangerously weakened by Sandy’s pounding waves, many homeowners there are looking toward the decimated beachhead and the ocean beyond, now hundreds of feet closer to their homes than it was just a week ago, with concern about the coming winter storm season.
The National Weather Service said on Friday that it is looking at the possibility of a major coastal storm forming by the middle of next week and that it could impact the tri-state region and Eastern Long Island.
Most of the damage to homes seen during the storm came in the stretch of oceanfront between Water Mill and Wainscott. In some stretches, hundreds of feet of beach and dune were washed away by Sandy, and dozens of houses had their foundations exposed and decks and outer walls ripped off. One structure, the clubhouse of the Water Mill Beach Club, was almost entirely destroyed.
Much of that area—six miles of beach stretching from Flying Point to the East Hampton Town line—is slated to receive more than two million tons of sand if a proposed $24 million beach nourishment project is approved by the town. The project had been on pace for an approval this month but was stalled by the objections of two property owners—a farming family from Sagaponack and a private beach club in Bridgehampton—to having to pay the six-figure costs of the project over the next 10 years, since they have donated conservation easements over their properties. Legislation at the state level that would allow the properties to be exempted was due to be reviewed in January, which would have meant the project could not go forward until next fall.
But on Saturday homeowners pressed town officials to pick up the ball and push the project forward on an expedited basis, and to push at federal levels to lift restrictions that would prevent it from happening this winter.
“It seems irresponsible to put this off for another year and put at risk miles of beachfront,” one resident said. “Is there a way we can deal with the Whites and the beach club that would allow this to go forward now?”
The White family, one of Sagaponack’s oldest farming families, have a development easement over all of their 24-acre oceanfront farmland—they sold the development rights to the town for $14 million in 2007 through the Community Preservation Fund—but would have to pay more than $60,000 a year toward the special property tax put in place to pay for the renourishment project. The Bridgehampton Club would have to pay a similar sum for their 12-acre oceanfront parcel, on which they donated the development rights to the Peconic Land Trust in the 1990s.
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. said that he would explore options by which the legislation exempting the two property owners could be expedited at the state level but encouraged the town to move forward with the project immediately regardless. “There could be some emergency thing we can do, but the question is whether two property owners are going to dictate what happens to the entire beach,” he said. “Whether they’re going to pay or not pay, it seems that action is required.”
It's amazing to think about the amount of $$$ that was spent on dune restoration, dredging, beach grass plantings and snow fence installation. Everyone feeling good about watching kids plant beach grass and patting themselves on the back - and the ocean completely disregarded it all in one quick blow. I'm not saying that ...more those things didn't help - at least in the short term, but it's quite near-sighted to believe we can do something to the dunes to prevent their erosion.
Also, just wanted to point out that they are geoTubes not geoCubes. Not a big deal, but if you googled geocubes you get something totally different!
It CAN make a difference in that it's much more difficult to move a geotube than move sand... but the ocean's power is not to be underestimated. It's just Aram looking to cash in. His eyes light up when storms like this come by
The town should not meet with oceanfront homeowners, because they are encouraging rebuiding in areas that are obviously vulnerable to the fury of the ocean. The town needs too inact a law if oceanfront is destroyed it is sterilized like alot of other areas do. Too think that after this storm we are again thinking too let wash out areas rebuild with sand is pure stupidity. Too think that bags of sand are going too stop the ocean is pure ignorance. Thank God the town didn't do there partnership with homeowners on beach nourishment, All of the sand would of washed into the ocean with the town getting stuck with a 20 million dollar bill.Lets see who on the town board has the cajones to stand up too rich home owners and say were not interested.
The town needs too inact a law if oceanfront is destroyed it is sterilized like alot of other areas do.
will not happen because you cannot take people's property without compensating them. Look what happend in WHD - those lots were all under water and the governments were required to rebuild them which turned into the ugliest ...more place in our Town. Show me an example of other oceanfront communities that don't allow people to re-build - I'm not saying they don't exist but I'd be interested to learn about them
On the long scale of geologic time, LI is a sandy drop in the bucket! [intended]
Dust to dust . . . .
Stay safe out there if you are cleaning up moldy areas, and have a good weekend.
When was Sandy, last Monday?
And now they think they can replenish the beach !!!
[Article updated]
PS -- Please spend money as fast as you can, as it will only hasten the municipal bankruptcy toward which most governments are headed. Might as well take the medicine sooner rather than later.
Moreover, the observation that geotubes or geo[c]ubes are somehow different than rocks because they "allow water and sand to flow through them" is rubbish. ...more They have precisely the same effect as rocks.
Sandy is a tragedy. But the Council is just adding to the damage by wasting our money on an undeserving project and allowing forbidden hardened seawalls that will cause damage (and lawsuits by oceanfront property owners) in the future.
Yes, there is an obvious risk when you live by the water, but when a tide has never been anywhere near ...more that high in the last 50,60, 75? years it's easy to settle into a home you can afford.
Aram and First Coastal see blood and are going for the kill - they are looking to make as much $$$ as possible and this storm is more than they could have dreamed of. If only the Town is wise enough to realize it's the exact opposite of we need.
No matter the dune depth/height/composition/structure/vegetation, the Ocean ...more will eat it away. There were homes on Fire Island a full football field away from the water and "protected" by 30' high dunes covered in vegetation. Guess what - those houses (and the dunes) are gone now.
The beaches in the village of Southampton are coming back and the same with the town beaches. Unfortunately the dunes are not going too come back, ...more but who's fault is that? People should go too Sagaponak and walk the beach and they will see the damage for themselves. Houses built on the crest of the dune are too blame for the destruction.
These homeowners often call the cops when they see people walking or driving on the beach. Let them fix their own property and leave us out of it. These people like too act as if they are enviromentalists as they say dont walk on THEIR dunes. Today you can walk the beach and see THEIR septic system leaching into the ocean.
I'm against sand pumping, but how can the White's think they should be exempt from paying their share? They received 14 MILLION 5 years ago are you kidding me. Everybody in this country wants a free ride even millionaire farmers its making me sick. What a sick country we are becoming
By the way all you need is sand bags too protect from the ocean? LOL
Ugly as it is, the steel sheeting seems to be the only thing to hold back the voracious waves.
Sand bags are for kids. Lets get serious if tax money is going to be spent, spend it on something that will last.
???
NOTHING can hold back the ocean.
NO THING!
NO THING!
NO THINKING!
Just get it.
Nothing can hold back the ocean.
Pretty simple!
i mean Democrat Point is HUGE now as opposed towhent he lighthouse was orignally built ..and Silver Point at th southeastern end of Long Beach IS HUGE versus all the old photos showing the oringal short walk to the surf ..
..and in NJ Sandy Hook gets filled in from all the jersies beaches below it ??
?thks , i mean what do i know, ...more i only have likes 150 posts
"These structures are a non-permanent "softer" alternative to traditional rock or steel shore protection structures. Because of its overall limited height, the structure may be subject to rolling, undermining and overtopping during severe wave attack, thus it's not intended for permanent ...more protection during prolonged intense storms."
Areas in NJ that had geotubes installed as part of dune reconstruction were stripped down to the geotubes - with the dunes above them completely destroyed and now lining the streets and homes of the barrier island.
So Marty, tell me why you are encouraging these to be installed? The only benefit to their installation is the continued lining of Aram's pockets.
Freddy sees $$$$$$ but I wonder if anyone has taken the time to consider what the effects of moving this much sand from these areas will have on Sagg Pond and Mecox Bay. Guess it doesn't matter as long ...more as Freddy and Schultz can line their pockets