Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
By Forum Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New York District announces the public release of a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the New York- New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries coastal storm risk management feasibility study (NYNJHAT Study). The report was completed in cooperation with the non-federal sponsors, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the study partners, New York Department of State and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
The release of the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement opens a public comment period ending January 6, 2023.
The Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement can be accessed from the study website at https://nan.usace.army.mil/NYNJHATS.
The NYNJHAT Study is an investigation into strategies to manage coastal storm risk in the tidally-influenced regions of New York & New Jersey Harbor. This includes tidally affected tributaries encompassing all of New York City, the Hudson River to Troy, NY; the lower Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Raritan Rivers; and the Upper and Lower Bays of New York Harbor, Newark, Jamaica, Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays; the Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill and East River tidal straits; and western Long Island Sound.
The NYNJHAT Study is one of nine studies that the USACE North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS) Report, issued January 2015, identified for further investigation. The NYNJHAT Study is authorized by Public Law 84-71, June 15, 1955 which directs the examination of damages in coastal and tidal areas due to coastal storms such as hurricanes “and of possible means of preventing loss of human lives and damages to property, with due consideration of the economics of proposed breakwaters, seawalls, dikes, dams, and other structures, warning services, or other measures which might be required.”
“With storms such as Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Ida becoming increasingly common, projects like the NYNJHAT Study are needed to improve coastal resiliency throughout the five boroughs,” said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). “A full understanding of the damages caused by coastal storms, as well as the range of potential measures to mitigate risk, will help protect vulnerable communities and inform future actions. I commend the Corps for completing this stage of the study, and I look forward to the release of the final report.”
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) added, “As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy this October, I support the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study’s Tentatively Selected Plan to protect us from future storms. This tentative plan is the Multi-Basin Storm Surge Barriers with Shore-Based Measures — which manages coastal storm risk through several measures, including a storm surge barrier at the entrance to Jamaica Bay. This $52.6 billion plan has been worked on and advocated for by community leaders over the years and would create a system of flooding features to reduce the risk of coastal storm surge, while also minimizing environmental impacts to the surrounding communities. I look forward to seeing the next steps of this plan to protect our neighborhoods from damages caused by storms and hurricanes.”
