The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has reported that a 1,500-foot breach caused by Hurricane Sandy at Cupsogue Beach has been filled in.
The DEC said that a dredge crew from the Great Lakes Dredging Company has been working since Nov. 17 to fill the gap and are now working to build up the dunes to an elevation of about 9 feet.
According to Aphrodite Montalvo, spokeswoman for the DEC, to date, a total of 130,000 cubic yards of sand from the Moriches Inlet has been pumped to fill the breach — it is estimated a total of 200,000 will be pumped by the time the job is completed on Friday.
Plans to fill the breach, which sat about a half a mile west of the concession stand at Cupsogue, were laid out in a contingency plan that was created in the early 1990s.
During a press conference, which was held as dredge equipment arrived on Nov, 16, officials said the contingency plan worked well with multiple agencies responding quickly get equipment in place to secure the breach just two weeks after Sandy hit.
The cost to fill the breach stands at $6 million and will be paid for through a split between Army Corps of Engineers, the state and county.
Once work is done at Cupsogue, the dredge company is expected to move to the Shinnecock Inlet where work was scheduled to commence earlier this month.
Related Reading:
- Enlarging Cupsogue Beach Breach To Be Filled In
- Dredge Equipment Arrives at Cupsogue; DEC Commissioner Tours Breach Site
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