Getting Nervous
Ocean Beach Resort Looks Into Their Erosion Protection Options
By Vicky Cooper
Beach erosion in Montauk is not a new topic. In fact, this has been a problem in our costal community for many years and it was erosion which initially created the beaches. Over the course of millions of years, solid stones and rocks were broken down into gravel and pebble eventually making the sand which we know and love to feel between our toes. However, this problem is taking a true precedent for the Dune Management Company which owns the Ocean Beach Resort motel in downtown Montauk. The motel literally sits on the edge of the ocean and is in serious danger of getting soaked with waves.
The Ocean Beach Resort motel sits on a 70,703 square-foot parcel
of land-sand and is certainly not the only property along
the strip of beach between South Emerson Avenue and the waves
of
the Atlantic Ocean that faces this problem in the village
of Montauk. The Dune Management Company wants to build a 484-foot-long
rock revetment which would be covered by sand to protect
the
beach and the property. In order to build the revetment,
the owners are seeking a natural resources permit from the
zoning
board. The owners, town board members, environmental groups,
and concerned residents met at a zoning board of appeals
meeting on October 31, where Larry Penny, the director of East
Hampton
Town Natural Resources Department set the tone by stating, “something
has to be done.”
Mr. Penny further explained that it is not only the Ocean Beach
Resort motel that is in danger but the entire downtown of
Montauk. Mr. Penny is in support of the revetment and explained
how
the low elevation of Montauk and its proximity to the ocean
makes it very vulnerable to flooding, remarking that “we
better be careful and protect ourselves.” Other buildings
such as the Royal Atlantic are also very close to falling into
the ocean and those opposed to the revetment fear that others
will speak up to protect their looming oceanfront properties.
At the hearing, several groups, including the Surfrider Foundation,
the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Montauk Beach Property
Owners Associations, the Planning Department and the Group
for the South Fork, directly questioned the usefulness and
environmental impact of the rock revetments. The groups requested
that an environmental statement be completed for the plan.
Essentially, revetments are structures placed on banks or
bluffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming waves.
They
are usually built to preserve the existing uses of the shoreline
and to protect the slope. Like seawalls, revetments armor
and protect the land behind them.
Brian Frank, the chief environmental analyst for the Planning
Department explained that revetments often create more problems
than they solve since costal processes are dynamic and costal
patterns are becoming harder to predict with global warming.
Mr. Terchunian, one of the owners of the Ocean Beach Resort
explained that over the five past years hundreds of thousands
of yards of sand have been carted to rebuild the dune between
the ocean and the motel. Once a storm hits, the sand is washed
away.
Mr. Frank explained that there is still much more information
needed on this issue including technical details, such as
how much sand is to be used and whether the revetment will
encroach
the narrow town-owned beach strip next to the motel. The
town board has been working on costal erosion legislation which
includes trying to acquire additional offshore sand to replenish
the eroding town beaches. Supervisor Bill McGintee’s
executive assistant Lynn Ryan explained that beaches in Ditch
Plains, Montauk and Wainscott are all in desperate need of
sand. Lynn Ryan further explained that the town board has hired
Marlowe & Associates to lobby the federal government for
sand replenishment money.
Nobody has discussed the use of adding jetties to the beach,
which stick out into the ocean and trap sand in between
them. A jetty project was actually put into place so that all
of
Long Island would have them, but the project was stopped
due to protest. However, the areas where the jetties are
consistent,
appear to be able to maintain the sand.
The fact of the matter is that the town’s costal erosion
legislation has been in the works for almost 15 years and everyday
vital sand sediments are being washed away to sea. It is important
to thoroughly research the environmental impact of revetments
and also to attempt to compose a comprehensive, costal erosion
plan for the downtown of Montauk, especially since these oceanfront
resorts and stores are a staple in the this costal town’s
tourist economy. Several people spoke out at the meeting and
urged the board to wait until the town passes the coastal erosion
legislation, yet members of the Dune Management Company responded
that it might be years before the legislation goes into effect,
and at that point, too late for protection.
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