New York Senator, Charles E. Schumer, last week called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct repairs to protect Sodus Bay including the Sodus Bay Breakwater, the Charles Point steel wall, and a washout at Crescent Beach.
These three key improvements are needed in order to fix the only barrier protecting all of Sodus Bay from Lake Ontario’s direct damaging wind-driven waves and erosion and to protect the over 75 houses along Charles Point and Crescent Beach, said the senator.
“This community has dealt with months of repeated flooding and erosion. With every wind-driven wave the areas surrounding Sodus Bay, Crescent Beach and Charles Point have seen continued and unrelenting damage. It is very clear that people and business are struggling and that is time for the Army Corps to fulfill their responsibility to taxpayers by fixing this failing infrastructure,” said Senator Schumer.
Flooding has badly damaged the current breakwater putting Sodus Bay homes and business at risk, it has destroyed the steel wall and allowed flood waters to erode the Charles Point cliff, and it has caused an over 1000 foot wide area of Crescent Beach to washout forcing the evacuation of 4 houses and allowing Lake Ontario waters to rush unobstructed into Sodus Bay.
Schumer said that these pieces of infrastructure are critical to protecting the region’s shoreline and that it is the Army Corp’s responsibility to repair and maintain it.
The senator also added that Lake Ontario’s coastline has experienced severe flooding over the last several months.
The flooding has shut down businesses, damaged homeowner property and public infrastructure, and eroding away land and shoreline protections. These damages could be mitigated by the Army Corps taking action now to correct these three failure points along Sodus Bay’s protective barrier, the senator said.
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