 At the Agencies
U.S. Corps of Engineers on schedule for Hurricane Sandy fixes The Army's chief of engineers said that the Hurricane Sandy operations and maintenance program is more than 70 percent finished and on schedule to be completed by the end of 2016. In testimony on Capitol Hill before the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, April 22, Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick praised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers', or USACE's, proficiency in the Sandy recovery work. NOAA study finds marshes, reefs, beaches can enhance coastal resilience The resilience of U.S. coastal communities to storms, flooding, erosion and other threats can be strengthened when they are protected by natural infrastructure such as marshes, reefs, and beaches, or with hybrid approaches, such as a "living shoreline" - a combination of natural habitat and built infrastructure, according to a new NOAA study. The study, published in Environmental Science and Policy, assesses reports and peer-reviewed studies on the strengths and weaknesses of using built infrastructure, such as seawalls or dikes, natural infrastructure, or approaches which combine both. The study focuses on how these approaches help coastal communities reduce their risk of flooding and erosion, as well as additional benefits, and the tradeoffs when decision makers choose one type over another.
From Texas to Maine, NOAA's expanded flood information tool promotes resilience
A NOAA flood exposure risk mapping tool that was developed in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania has now been expanded to cover coastal areas along the entire U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. The Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper, a deliverable of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, provides users with maps, data, and information to assess risks and vulnerabilities related to coastal flooding and hazards.
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 In the States and Regions
East Coast
Florida's environmental agency is asking the Federal Government not to allow seismic testing off the state's Atlantic coast until more research is done on the tests' effects on sea life. "Florida is concerned about the effects . on its marine and coastal resources," including endangered sea turtles and right whales, the Department of Environmental Protection's deputy chief of staff, Carla Gaskin Mautz, told the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in a letter sent last week.
Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Rhode Island Association of Flood Managers Association teamed up on Tuesday to inform stakeholders of the need to prepare for coastal inundation, flooding and property loss due to storms and sea-level rise. The meeting, held at the University of Rhode Island's Coastal Institute, focused on limitations facing coastal engineers in mitigating damages and risk to coastal property owners. Grover Fugate, Executive Director of Rhode Island's Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), updated the stakeholders on the Beach SAMP (Special Area Management Plan) building process.
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin joined U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd), and Lt. Col. Michael Bliss, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District for a news conference April 17 to announce the start of the Cape May County project to build beaches and dunes in southern Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City, according to a release.
Gulf Coast
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has recently launched a new "Flood Risk and Resilience Viewer" which displays information on coastal land change, flood risk, and impacts to communities. This innovative online-tool provides residents with access to the state's best information about how Louisiana's coast may change in the future, as well as resources to make communities and properties safer. The viewer uses data that was produced for the 2012 Coastal Master Plan and shows land loss and flood risk across the coast for the current day as well as 50 years into the future. Also displayed are the 2012 Coastal Master Plan protection and restoration projects that provide land building and risk reduction benefits across the coast. This information can be used by state agencies, coastal stakeholders, and community advocates in coastal planning and hazard mitigation efforts.
USACE Galveston District awards $4.2 million contract to dredge Sabine-Neches Waterway
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District awarded a maintenance dredging contract in the amount of $4,219,500 to Manson Construction Co., for pipeline dredging of the Sabine Pass Channel Reach of the Sabine-Neches Waterway in Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
West Coast and Pacific Islands
Plans to place more than 1.5 million cubic yards of sand on beaches in two North County cities over a 50-year span recently reached "the last significant major milestone," Solana Beach City Manager David Ott said. The Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board voted 5-0 on April 21 to advance the Coastal Storm Drainage Reduction project, which has been in the works for more than 15 years by officials in Solana Beach and Encinitas.
A multi million-dollar sand replenishment project meant to protect the shorelines of two north San Diego County cities from further erosion is closer to happening. Following a presentation Tuesday in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board approved the study for the Encinitas-Solana Beach Shoreline Protection Project.
Great Lakes
A new state law offers a good start - but no more than that - on cleansing Lake Erie of harmful algae. State, federal, local, and regional officials, as well as environmental, scientific, farm, and industry groups, now must build on the law to help prevent a recurrence of the kind of toxic pollution that poisoned Toledo's water supply last summer. A report solicited by Lucas County's board of commissioners and produced by law professors at the University of Toledo and University of Vermont offers a useful series of legal solutions to address the lake's algae mess. Future of USACE dredging on the Great Lakes
Long term planning and oversight of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dredging operations on the Great Lakes is the responsibility of Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, USACE Great Lakes and Ohio Rivers Division Commander. Recently Brig. Gen. Kaiser, who grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, along the shores of Lake Michigan, explained the challenges, successes, and the road forward for dredging the Great Lakes harbors.
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The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association reports that although flooding is most often considered the primary threat from higher water levels, it is important to be aware of the other threats as well. These include:
- Potable water could be harder (or more expensive) to find;
- Your coastal economy will take a hit, however it operates;
- Coastal habitats will change far more rapidly than their inhabitants might like;
- A community's basic infrastructure will need to withstand much more to do its job; and
- Predictability will give way to uncertainty on too many levels.
Trying to Save the Oceans, One Small Grant at a Time
The New England Aquarium's Marine Conservation Action Fund has paid out $700,000 since 1999, supporting 122 projects in 40 countries on six continents.
A week-long workshop in Provincetown, brought teams from around the world together to review new techniques in whale entanglement rescues. Cape Cod's Center for Coastal Studies partnered with the International Whaling Commission to analyze rescue research data and study successful rescues in global waters in the first official meeting of the International Whaling Commission's Global Whale Entanglement Response Network.
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Announcements
The Mapping Ocean Wealth team launched its website, which takes a fresh look at coastal and marine habitats in people-focused terms like jobs, food security, risk reduction and recreational revenue. By translating relevant science about reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes into the language of today's decision-makers it will inform policy, engineering, and conservation decisions.
May 11 -14, 2015
May 31 -June 5, 2015
June 9-11, 2015
June 16-18, 2015
June 24-26, 2015
September 6-9, 2015
October 4-8, 2015
Best regards,
The CSO Team
cso@coastalstates.org
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