Protected New York/ New Jersey Harbor from Massive Floodgates

The NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS), led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), was considering a plan for the NY/NJ Harbor which would have built a six mile long structure spanning from Sandy Hook in NJ, to Breezy Point in the Rockaways, NY.  This structure could be completely closed in the event of a major storm.

Surfrider and other organizational partners such as the NY/NJ Baykeeper/Riverkeeper and  the Waterfront Alliance were very concerned about the impacts to the environment and to nearby communities from such a structure. The NY/NJ Harbor is a highly dynamic and productive area, home to many estuarine animals that are dependent on the daily movement of freshwater and ocean tides. We were also concerned that nearby communities like the Rockaways could be negatively impacted from the building of this massive seagate (by pushing water onto the Rockaways), and the possibility of flooding behind the gate in the event of heavy rainfall.

On September 24, 2022, the USACE released the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which included the Tentatively Selected Plan. This Plan no longer includes the six mile long seagate!

Going forward, the Surfrider New York City and Jersey Shore Chapters will continue to follow this process, attend public meetings, and provide comments on the Plan, to avoid unnecessary coastal armoring and negative environmental and community impacts, and to advocate for ‘soft coastal protection’ mechanisms including living shorelines and dune/wetland restoration. In addition, we are advocating that sea level rise be more robustly incorporated into the HATS planning process.