FIMP Chief’s Report inked

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, has announced the signing of Report of the Chief of Engineers for the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point (FIMP), New York Coastal Storm Risk Management Project.

“The signing of this report represents a culmination of decades of work and is a significant milestone for the Fire Island to Montauk Point Project; the Army Corps of Engineers’ recommendations provides a holistic and sustainable coastal storm risk management solution that spans 83 miles with project features on both the shorefront and back bays,” said Col. Matthew Luzzatto, New York District Commander.

“Most notably I am proud of the nature-based features. This has truly been a team effort and I want to thank all of our engineers, scientists and partners at the local, state and federal level for their unwavering support.”

The proposed FIMP project recommends the following:

• Inlet Sand Bypassing – Sand bypassing along Fire Island, Moriches and Shinnecock Inlets with monitoring is included to facilitate adaptive management changes (operational changes during a project to optimize its intended function.)
• Mainland Nonstructural – Nonstructural measures, primarily structure elevations, building retrofits, for 4,432 structures within the 10-year floodplain, with ring walls (a walled structure encircling a home) for 93 structures, localized acquisition in areas subject to high frequency flooding with the reestablishment of natural floodplain function.
• Breach Response on Barrier Islands.
• Beach and Dune Fill on Shorefront – with renourishment approximately every four (4) years for up to 30 years after project completion.
• Feeder beach construction every 4 years for up to 30 years at Montauk Beach. (A feeder beach is an artificially widened beach that nourishes down-drift beaches)
• Adaptive management to ensure volume and placement configuration accomplishes the design objectives of offsetting long-term erosion.
• Groin Modifications – Removal of the existing Ocean Beach groins.
• Coastal Process Features (CPFs) for 12 Barrier Island and two mainland locations. Sediment will be placed along the Barrier Island bayside shoreline over the project life to reestablish the coastal processes consistent with the objective of no net loss of habitat or sediment. 
• Integration of Local Land Use Regulations and Management