Army Corps Proposes Sea Barriers to Protect New York from Rising Seas

"[T]he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed several different approaches to preventing flood surges using gates and berms in and around New York Harbor, and environmentalists are sounding the alarm," reports Jonathan Hilburg.

The proposals are part of the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study, a 2,150-mile survey of the region’s most vulnerable areas. The Corps has put together five schemes—four that use storm barriers, and one “as is” projection—and is soliciting feedback from New York and New Jersey residents with a series of information sessions this week.

As noted by Hilburg, the project will have to negotiate a tricky balance between property protection and environmental protection. Clean Water advocates at Riverkeeper have already expressed concerns about the Army Corps approach to infrastructure. The article includes a lot more detail about the Hudson River tidal estuary and the schemes included in the feasibility study.

The Army Corps is holding a series of public information meetings on the feasibility study this week.