The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District has awarded two separate contracts to conduct restoration of Yellow Bar Hassock Marsh Island in Jamaica Bay, N.Y.
As part of the Ambrose Channel 3B Harbor Deepening Contract, a $9,937,500 option was awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company to place sand at Yellow Bar, while a $7,293,547.50 contract was recently awarded to Village Dock, Inc., a small business of Port Jefferson, N.Y. for the marsh construction at Yellow Bar Hassock Marsh Island.
The project will beneficially use clean sand from the ongoing New York-New Jersey Harbor 50 foot deepening project to restore marsh habitat in Jamaica Bay. Approximately 375,000 cubic yards of sand from the Ambrose Channel deepening project will be beneficially used to restore 42 acres of marsh at the Yellow Bar Hassock marsh island.
The Marsh Islands Complex is an integral part of Jamaica Bay, targeted for restoration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, National Parks Service (Gateway), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the National Resources Conservation Service and the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York City Department of Environmental Protection are contributing the funds on behalf of the non-federal sponsor for the Yellow Bar Hassock Marsh Island Restoration Project.
“ The Army Corps has a continuing strong commitment along with our partners and stakeholders to restore critical habitat within Jamaica Bay, complementing the needs of the environment with the economic benefits of deepening the Port of New York and New Jersey ,” said Col. John R. Boulé II, the Army Corps’ New York District Commander . Restoring salt marshes and coastal wetlands in Jamaica Bay are a critical component of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan for the Hudson Raritan Estuary. The marsh islands ecosystem within Jamaica Bay is a home for a variety of wildlife.
It is estimated that approximately 1,400 acres of tidal salt marsh have been lost from the marsh islands since 1924, with the system wide rate of loss rapidly increasing in recent years. Jamaica Bay and the Hudson Raritan Estuary is home of the first urban National Park, a key component and focus of the President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative. Jamaica Bay is recognized as a coastal habitat deserving preservation and restoration, which contribute to sustaining and expanding the region’s native living resources and is a highly productive habitat that supports hundreds of species of birds, fish, marine animals and reptiles.
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Dredging Today Staff, January 19, 2012; Image: usace