Fire Island, New York, Stabilization

Project Description

The Fire Island Stabilization Project involved placement of over 2.5m CY of sand material along a 5 mile stretch of beach located on Fire Island NY.

Hopper dredge Stuyvesant was contracted to dredge sand material from a Borrow Area located offshore of Westhampton Beach, approximately 10 nautical miles from the project site.  Material was dredged, transported, and hydraulically discharged to the project site using up to 7,000 LFT of pipeline.

The project also included planting of dune grass along 23.5 acres of newly constructed dunes, and Earthwork which involved clearing, grubbing, and regrading of approximately 78 acres of new bird habitats at Great Gunn and New Made Island. Earthwork included the placement of over 500k CY of sand relocated from Great Gunn to the beach fill template.

Environmental concerns included endangered turtle and whale monitoring aboard the Stuyvesant, archaeological monitoring along the beach and borrow area, and restrictions related to protected bird nesting habitat- specifically the Least Tern and Piping Plover.

Major Challenges:

• Severe Weather – High winds and seas perilous for Stuyvesant and Beach Crews.
• Beach Erosion – Both existing beach and new beach eroded during project.
• Ice and Snow – Hazardous for vehicles; hinders production.
• Material Quality – Veins of gravel and clay encountered at the borrow area, slowing production.
• Material Access – Borrow Area shallow depth and proximity to shore limit dredging access.

Scope:

• 2.5m CY of sand dredged.
• 5 miles beach built.
• 23.5 acres of beach grass planted.
• 78 acres of new bird habitat constructed.
• 500k CY upland earthwork.