Date: March 25, 2015
Contact: James Dunphy, Facility Manager, 631-687-4756
Contact: Michael Ortega, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 917-970-6252
Fire Island, New York – On Sunday H&L Contracting resumed dredge operations at Watch Hill on Fire Island. The project, aimed at maintaining safe, public access to marina and docking facilities impacted by Hurricane Sandy, was stalled in early January due to severe winter weather and extensive ice in the Great South Bay.
Dredging efforts will be focused on restoring the Watch Hill navigation channel and will be ongoing through March 31. Due to weather delays portions of the project can no longer be completed during the dredge window and may be completed from October, 2015 to January, 2016.
The dredge project began in December, 2014 and was halted January 8, 2015 as a result of icing in the Great South Bay.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a permit extension to H&L Contracting on February 5 to work beyond the initial January 15 project deadline. Conditions in the Great South Bay prevented further work until mid-March. The $2.9 million project, funded through Hurricane Sandy relief aid, was designed to restore Sailors Haven and Watch Hill navigation channels to a width of 100 feet and depth of six feet at mean low tide.
