The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to provide $9.5 million in federal funding to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District (USACE), to construct the Braddock Bay Restoration plan favored by the USACE and the local Rochester community.
The announcement was made yesterday at the Braddock Bay Marina by the U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. He was joined by EPA – Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck, Town of Greece, New York, Supervisor William D. Reilich, and USACE Buffalo District Commander Lt. Col. Karl D. Jansen.
In recent years, Braddock Bay’s barrier beach has been largely washed away and left open to Lake Ontario. Without this much-needed barrier, the Bay has lost an estimated 100 acres of wetlands and sand pushed in from the lake has made it too shallow for most boaters.
“ This $9.5 million investment will not only bring the Bay back to its former glory ,” said Schumer , “ it will restore boating access, create wildlife habitats and bring opportunities to makes this a tourism and recreational magnet.”
USACE will use these federal EPA funds to build a new, man-made barrier beach to restore much of the old beach that has been washed away from Hurricane Agnes and years of Nor’easter storms.
The Corps will use the 12,000 cubic yards of material that was dredged from the Bay, plus an additional 14,000 cubic yards of beach sand and 6,000 tons of stone to build a 2.5-acre barrier beach. This beach is expected to be 1,200 feet long and 200 feet wide, and will protect the new navigation channel and newly restored wetlands from the rigors of Lake Ontario.
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