Unless you live near a creek, work on the water or are an avid Long Island boater, you may not be aware of how sediment deposits can muck up the waters, literally.  Bottom sediments are in constant motion and flux as energy sources take the driver’s seat.  Sediment movement patterns are dictated by many variables including tides, sediment size, shape of the watershed, wind, waves, storms, gravity, etc.   Sediment is constantly deposited and scoured from the watershed bottom.

With dredging comes an armload of permitting requirements to ensure that dredging is done with minimal impact to our shoreline inhabitants, like the nesting shorebirds (piping plovers, terns, etc.), fish species and sea turtles.  Submerged aquatic vegetation beds and benthic critters also have to be examined.  Shoreline erosion must be addressed and structures along the waterways must be protected as well.

That’s where EEA’s team of ecologists and marine scientists step in to address some of these important environmental concerns.   Suffolk County Department of Public Works (SCDPW) has contracted EEA to develop environmental data reports that include Essential Fish Habitat Assessments (also known as EFH’s) and Endangered and Threatened Species Assessments on 28 creeks on the eastern end of Long Island that are slated for dredging.    EFH assessments are in place to protect spawning finfish and shellfish species.   Many times, environmental windows are established to protect specific species. 

Aerial View of Fresh Pond in the Town of Southampton.  Fresh Pond is a Tributary to Little Peconic Bay

ü   General Site Characteristics ü  Sediment Characteristics ü  Benthic Communities ü  Water Quality ü   Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) ü  Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) ü  Endangered and Threatened Species

Potential impacts to habitat and species of concern that may occur as a result of the proposed maintenance project, both dredging and beneficial use of the dredged material, and measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the effect of the proposed project are addressed.   Prior studies in the creek and surrounding area are reviewed and referenced.

EEA’s report also provides an Endangered and Threatened Species Assessment for proposed maintenance dredging over an extended period of time (eg. 10 years).  If appropriate, beach placement of dredged material is also reviewed and recommendations are given.

These reports are included in the permitting package to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – New York District for a permit to perform 10-year maintenance dredging with shoreline placement /beach nourishment, as applicable to each creek.  A key component of the permitting process is coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA-NMFS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

 

Environmental reports for the remaining creeks have been submitted and are awaiting approval.  EEA will also be submitting reports for dredging permits in the Great South Bay on Long Island.

 For more information on these and other dredging projects, please contact Marybeth Billerman at mbillerman@eeaconsultants.com or call our Stony Brook office at 631-751-4600.