As a result of the Rebuild by Design competition in 2014, the project received $60M in HUD funding and is being implemented by the New York Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR). Living Breakwaters is currently in the schematic design phase and will reach 30% design by early fall. Our team has been hard at work collecting data on existing habitat, offshore geotechnical conditions, and sediment grain size along the southern Staten Island coastline.
The team is using an iterative approach of design, desktop analysis, and hydrodynamic modeling to further refine placement, size, and design of the breakwaters themselves. Our ecological team is laying the groundwork for successful oyster restoration in Raritan Bay through the placement of spat nurseries in marinas around the project area. GOSR and SCAPE are also committed to an engaging and transparent community design process, and with the help of a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) the State and design teams have held multiple public meetings that not only allowed the public to understand the design process, but also inform how the project is being studied and crafted.
For more information on upcoming public events, please visit the Living Breakwaters page on the GOSR website and follow SCAPE on Facebook and Twitter.