The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater recently submitted comments on a proposal from the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect the NYNJ Harbor and upriver areas from storm surge in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. The USACE put forward five proposed alternatives in 2018 to combat sea level rise, including a massive sea wall across NY Harbor. The tentatively selected alternative (3B) consists of a combination of shoreline measures and shoreline walls, as well as 12 storm gates across NYC tributaries, which poses threats including to local water quality and public access. Clearwater calls for equal and joint consideration of sea level rise, locally driven resilience projects, prioritization of nature-based solutions, a comprehensive and revised Cost Benefit Analysis, consideration of risks to Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, infrastructure, and both brownfield and superfund sites. Read Clearwater’s comments.
Learn more about the study, and submit your comments to nynjharbor.tribstudy@usace.army.mil by the new further extended deadline of March, 31, 2023.
