Town of Oyster Bay applies for $1.4M of dredged sand from Army Corps for storm-battered Tobay Beach
Severe beach erosion from a storm earlier this month has destroyed most of the dunes on Town of Oyster Bay’s Tobay Beach and damaged the pavilion in Massapequa. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
The Town of Oyster Bay is advancing two plans to replenish depleted dunes at Tobay Beach.
The town submitted an application to purchase $1.4 million of dredged sand later this year from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials said.
Meantime, to restore the storm-battered beach for the summer, the town says it will buy $1.6 million of sand from a Middle Island sand mine.
Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino told Newsday the town on Friday submitted an application to the Army Corps to enter a memorandum of agreement for 53,000 cubic yards of dredged sand from a nearby effort — the “Fire Island Inlet and Shores Westerly to Jones Inlet, New York Beach Erosion Control and Navigation Project.”
That plan, which is set to begin this fall, is designed to both maintain a navigation channel for vessels and shore up sections of the Gilgo Beach Shoreline. Under the town's request, the Army Corps also would dredge sand and deliver it to Tobay Beach using pumps and hoses, according to Saladino.
That sand “is mixed with water” and is “far more dense” than the dry sand the town typically relies on to protect the beach, Saladino said.
James D’Ambrosio, an Army Corps spokesman, said the agency would review the town's request for additional work.
“The Army Corps will work with the Town to execute a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) — the required legal instrument for the Town to provide funds to the Army Corps to conduct placement of dredged sand at Tobay Beach,” D'Amrbosio said in an email. “The MOA execution process takes several months to complete.”
If the Army Corps has the capability to do the work, D'Ambrosio said, Oyster Bay could “expect the sand placement to be completed during the winter of 2024/2025.”
Tobay Beach has been battered with numerous storms in recent months that have effectively destroyed its dunes. Because the Army Corps project may not happen until later this year, Saladino said the town would purchase sand for Tobay Beach in the interim.
To build up the beach for the summer, the town will spend $1.6 million to buy 38,000 tons of sand from a Middle Island sand mine, Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner John Tassone said. The town will incur additional costs in transportation and overtime because town employees must drive trucks back-and-forth to get the sand, Saladino said.
The process of moving that sand will begin on May 6 and the beach will be ready for Memorial Day weekend, Saladino said.
The town has spent $4.2 million in the past two years to buy 66,000 tons of sand to replenish the shoreline, Newsday previously reported.
Saladino called for a more permanent solution to address erosion.
“It's not just about recreation. This sand and the dunes behind it protect Ocean Parkway from severe damage and therefore protect the entire barrier island,” Saladino said.
The Town of Oyster Bay is advancing two plans to replenish depleted dunes at Tobay Beach.
The town submitted an application to purchase $1.4 million of dredged sand later this year from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials said.
Meantime, to restore the storm-battered beach for the summer, the town says it will buy $1.6 million of sand from a Middle Island sand mine.
Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino told Newsday the town on Friday submitted an application to the Army Corps to enter a memorandum of agreement for 53,000 cubic yards of dredged sand from a nearby effort — the “Fire Island Inlet and Shores Westerly to Jones Inlet, New York Beach Erosion Control and Navigation Project.”
That plan, which is set to begin this fall, is designed to both maintain a navigation channel for vessels and shore up sections of the Gilgo Beach Shoreline. Under the town's request, the Army Corps also would dredge sand and deliver it to Tobay Beach using pumps and hoses, according to Saladino.
That sand “is mixed with water” and is “far more dense” than the dry sand the town typically relies on to protect the beach, Saladino said.
James D’Ambrosio, an Army Corps spokesman, said the agency would review the town's request for additional work.
“The Army Corps will work with the Town to execute a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) — the required legal instrument for the Town to provide funds to the Army Corps to conduct placement of dredged sand at Tobay Beach,” D'Amrbosio said in an email. “The MOA execution process takes several months to complete.”
If the Army Corps has the capability to do the work, D'Ambrosio said, Oyster Bay could “expect the sand placement to be completed during the winter of 2024/2025.”
Tobay Beach has been battered with numerous storms in recent months that have effectively destroyed its dunes. Because the Army Corps project may not happen until later this year, Saladino said the town would purchase sand for Tobay Beach in the interim.
To build up the beach for the summer, the town will spend $1.6 million to buy 38,000 tons of sand from a Middle Island sand mine, Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner John Tassone said. The town will incur additional costs in transportation and overtime because town employees must drive trucks back-and-forth to get the sand, Saladino said.
The process of moving that sand will begin on May 6 and the beach will be ready for Memorial Day weekend, Saladino said.
The town has spent $4.2 million in the past two years to buy 66,000 tons of sand to replenish the shoreline, Newsday previously reported.
Saladino called for a more permanent solution to address erosion.
“It's not just about recreation. This sand and the dunes behind it protect Ocean Parkway from severe damage and therefore protect the entire barrier island,” Saladino said.
Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.
SBU protests continue ... Farmingdale housing development ... Knicks advance .. FeedMe: Croissant Cookies
SBU protests continue ... Farmingdale housing development ... Knicks advance .. FeedMe: Croissant Cookies
