Babylon, Oyster Bay leaders seek federal help for fighting South Shore erosion

Babylon and Oyster Bay town officials on Friday called on the federal government to step up efforts to assist with the fight against beach erosion on Long Island's South Shore, citing threats to waterfront structures due to rising tides.

Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer stood by a playground teetering toward the surf at Overlook Beach and pleaded during a news conference for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide sand for the facility from its nearby dredging projects.

With another storm expected Friday night into Saturday, Schaffer said the town could lose the playground and a nearby pavilion could suffer structural damage.

“We’re at DEFCON 5, red alert,” the Democratic official said. “We need all the help that we can get from our state and federal partners.”

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the intensity of storms and severity of beach erosion has led to town beaches reaching a “crisis” point.

“The best we can do is scrape sand from the east and west to try to do everything possible to protect our beach and the structures there,” the Republican official said of Tobay Beach.

Staffers from the offices of Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) attended the news conference in a show of support.  

Suffolk County Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) also was on hand, and said it was “startling” the Army Corps of Engineers “doesn’t consider this an emergency.”

Army Corps of Engineers spokesman James D'Ambrosio said later Friday that Overlook is not included in any planned dredging projects, but 70,000 cubic yards of sand could be provided for the town to purchase for the beach's replenishment from a Fire Island Inlet project his agency will carry out in the fall.

D'Ambrosio said federal natural disaster emergency response laws dictate that a storm must be at least a Category 3 hurricane for any beach to be considered for emergency assistance.

“Currently we are making assessments of storm damages,” he said. “However, we have no authority or funding to provide emergency sand replenishment at this time.”

Erosion that already was thinning Overlook intensified from September 2022 to December 2023 from the impact of seven storms, according to Babylon town spokesman Patrick Maslinski.

The last time the Army Corps of Engineers dredged at Overlook and deposited sand on shore was the winter of 2013 to 2014, according to town and federal officials. At the project's completion, the beach was 630 feet wide, Maslinski said.

But after a Dec. 18 storm, the average high tide mark came within 120 feet of the pavilion and during high tide Wednesday waves reached the structure, the Babylon official said.

Another playground at the beach had to be dismantled last year due to tide damage, Maslinski added.  

The spokesman said town board members are likely to pass a measure Wednesday to bond for $2 million with the hope of buying sand from the Army Corps of Engineers' fall project.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.