Stopping the surge: Patchogue to try new way to stem shoreline flooding
Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri Jr., and Marian H. Russo, executive director of the village's Community Development Agency, stand by wooden bulkheads at Shorefront Park in Patchogue on Thursday ahead of the start of a shoreline restoration program to combat flooding.
Credit: Randee Daddona
The aging wooden bulkheads at Patchogue’s Shorefront Park — which regularly turns into more of a shorefront lake — will be swapped out in favor of stones and a marsh in an innovative effort to stem flooding.
The approach is considered a radical departure for Long Island, where waterfront communities have for a century or more depended on wooden slabs to protect marinas and coastlines from storm surges, officials said.
Climate change and rising sea levels required a change in thinking, Patchogue officials told Newsday.
“It’s considered cutting-edge for our region,” said Marian H. Russo, executive director of the Patchogue Community Development Agency. “This is going to be a model for other areas to see how this works.”
Patchogue is planning a Jan. 24 groundbreaking for the $3,741,980 project, which will include redesigning other aspects of the park, such as boardwalks and benches. Construction should be completed by Memorial Day, officials said.
The plan, known as a "living shoreline," calls for laying rocks along an 800-foot stretch from Mascot Dock east toward Bayview Road. The rocks are expected to act as a porous barrier that should absorb and divert stormwater.
Little Creek, which cuts through the park, will be dredged and widened during a later phase of the project, officials said.
The project got a boost on Dec. 29 when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Patchogue won a $3 million grant to fund most of the work. Combined with other state and Suffolk County grants, and funds from an anonymous donor, the project is fully funded, Russo said.
Patchogue officials said numerous storms have swept waves from Patchogue Bay into the park, where water collects in pools behind the bulkheads. A fierce Dec. 23 storm turned the park into what looked like a skating rink, they said.
“We had water all the way up to Harrison Street," Mayor Paul Pontieri told Newsday, referring to an area three blocks from the park. "Eight to 10 inches of water that froze overnight. … That Christmas Eve day, we were down there — six inches of ice.”
The park includes a children's playground, a bandshell, a field for baseball and softball, basketball courts and restrooms.
Placing stones along coastlines has proved successful in other parts of New York, such as the Hudson Valley, but the Patchogue project will be the first such attempt on Long Island, said Kathleen M. Fallon, coastal processes and hazards specialist in the Stony Brook office of nonprofit New York Sea Grant.
Using rocks is a “hybrid technique” that adapts a natural approach to water filtration using modern engineering techniques, she said.
“I would say it’s innovative for New York state," added Fallon, an unofficial adviser on the Patchogue project. "Living shorelines have been utilized in other areas of the country, particularly Jersey, Connecticut, the Chesapeake Bay, which is a … coastal environment similar to Long Island.”
Russo said that while storm surges are inevitable, the improved coastline should provide better protection for the popular park.
“It can’t be any worse than we have right now,” Pontieri said.
The aging wooden bulkheads at Patchogue’s Shorefront Park — which regularly turns into more of a shorefront lake — will be swapped out in favor of stones and a marsh in an innovative effort to stem flooding.
The approach is considered a radical departure for Long Island, where waterfront communities have for a century or more depended on wooden slabs to protect marinas and coastlines from storm surges, officials said.
Climate change and rising sea levels required a change in thinking, Patchogue officials told Newsday.
“It’s considered cutting-edge for our region,” said Marian H. Russo, executive director of the Patchogue Community Development Agency. “This is going to be a model for other areas to see how this works.”
Patchogue is planning a Jan. 24 groundbreaking for the $3,741,980 project, which will include redesigning other aspects of the park, such as boardwalks and benches. Construction should be completed by Memorial Day, officials said.
The plan, known as a "living shoreline," calls for laying rocks along an 800-foot stretch from Mascot Dock east toward Bayview Road. The rocks are expected to act as a porous barrier that should absorb and divert stormwater.
Little Creek, which cuts through the park, will be dredged and widened during a later phase of the project, officials said.
The project got a boost on Dec. 29 when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Patchogue won a $3 million grant to fund most of the work. Combined with other state and Suffolk County grants, and funds from an anonymous donor, the project is fully funded, Russo said.
Patchogue officials said numerous storms have swept waves from Patchogue Bay into the park, where water collects in pools behind the bulkheads. A fierce Dec. 23 storm turned the park into what looked like a skating rink, they said.
“We had water all the way up to Harrison Street," Mayor Paul Pontieri told Newsday, referring to an area three blocks from the park. "Eight to 10 inches of water that froze overnight. … That Christmas Eve day, we were down there — six inches of ice.”
The park includes a children's playground, a bandshell, a field for baseball and softball, basketball courts and restrooms.
Placing stones along coastlines has proved successful in other parts of New York, such as the Hudson Valley, but the Patchogue project will be the first such attempt on Long Island, said Kathleen M. Fallon, coastal processes and hazards specialist in the Stony Brook office of nonprofit New York Sea Grant.
Using rocks is a “hybrid technique” that adapts a natural approach to water filtration using modern engineering techniques, she said.
“I would say it’s innovative for New York state," added Fallon, an unofficial adviser on the Patchogue project. "Living shorelines have been utilized in other areas of the country, particularly Jersey, Connecticut, the Chesapeake Bay, which is a … coastal environment similar to Long Island.”
Russo said that while storm surges are inevitable, the improved coastline should provide better protection for the popular park.
“It can’t be any worse than we have right now,” Pontieri said.
'Living shoreline' plan for Shorefront Park
- Remove about 800 feet of wood bulkheading
- Replace it with stones along the shoreline
- Redesign boardwalks and benches
- Develop a marsh with native plants to absorb stormwater
- Dredge Little Creek, which will be widened during a later project phase
SOURCE: Village of Patchogue
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
VP Harris concedes election ... Election takeaways ... Trooper shot on SSP under investigation ... Warm weather continues
VP Harris concedes election ... Election takeaways ... Trooper shot on SSP under investigation ... Warm weather continues
