Staten Island Living Breakwater Project
Overview
The Living Breakwater is a pilot project aimed at creating an oyster breakwater around the shores of New York’s Staten Island. Tottenville, a town on Staten Island’s south shore, is particularly vulnerable to storm surge and Coastal erosion, and was an area severely affected by the flooding during Hurricane Sandy.[1] Rebuild By Design, a federal competition that provided funding for community-based resiliency solutions, awarded $60 million dollars to Scape Architecture Studio, who came up with the idea of “oyster-tecture”, and Tottenville community partners. NY Rising, part of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, is matching funding from Rebuild By Design to create a dune and beach grass system in Tottenville to further increase resilience to storm surge and erosion, broadly known as Climate resilience. A Citizen’s Advisory Committee, made up of local community members, helps oversee the projects and provides feedback from the town. The goal of the proposed 13,000 foot living breakwater, a quarter mile from shore, is threefold: 1. Reduce erosion and storm surge, 2. Improve water quality and ecosystem health, and 3. Foster environmental knowledge and stewardship in the local community. Natural breakwaters and reefs are known to decrease wave action and shoreline erosion[2]. A breakwater of oysters has the added benefit of filtering water, which in turn attracts other marine species and increases ecosystem Biodiversity.[3] Also, unlike purely artificial reefs, these oyster breakwaters have the ability to grow, which could be incredibly valuable to a coastal community feeling the effects of Sea level rise and climate change. This benefit has gained the breakwater project support from locals involved in the fishing industry, which historically has been vital to the town of Tottenville. The project also aims to involve the community in Environmental stewardship and education. Part of the $60 million grant goes to the construction of a “water hub”, a coastal building aimed at promoting community activities and involvement. Tottenville and the Living Breakwater project are also working with the Billion Oyster Project for help with both creating and growing the oyster breakwater, as well as community involvement. The Billion Oyster Project also works in conjunction with local teachers to help promote scientific thinking and environmental awareness in students. The project is currently in the Procurement Phase.
References
- ↑ November 2012, Crystal Gammon 07. "Why Hurricane Sandy Hit Staten Island So Hard". livescience.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ↑ US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "How do coral reefs protect lives and property?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ↑ "Can Clams and Oysters Help Clean Up Waterways?". https://www.whoi.edu/. Retrieved 2020-11-18. External link in
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