THE ATLANTIC COAST OF LONG ISLAND

Abstract

The south shore of Long Island, located on the northeast coast of the United States, consists of 120 miles of headlands and harrier beach which is breached by inlets that interconnect the coastal bays with the Atlantic Ocean. The shore is subject to severe changes due to constant attack of the ocean, rising level of the ocean and severe storms. The predominant, east to west littoral drift moves from 300,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of sand along the shore annually. The affected area encompasses a million people and is valued at $2.5 billions. Improvements have been authorized for 110 miles of shore, and involve sandfill, feeder beaches, groins, jetties, sand bypassing, and inlet barriers The estimated cost for the entire shore improvement is $188 million. The annual charges are about $10 million. The annual benefits are $16 million. The implementation of the authorized work includes the design and model testing of several sections and the completed work m several sections, such as sandfill, feeder beaches, and groins. The completed work shows considerable effect on shore processes. Overall evaluation must await completion of the total improvement in an integral section of the shore.