By Mike Busch 1-15-2020
I checked out Dune Road at Shinnecock Inlet to see how the beach has held up after emergency dredging late last year. The new sand is holding the ocean back from the road but it still looks precarious. Luckily the storm pattern that battered the south shore of Long Island over the Fall has not persisted. The south parking lot at the inlet closest to the beach is still closed until further notice. Authorities have also placed a huge reservoir of sand in the middle of the north lot to be used in case the ocean breaches the road again.
Last week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began seeking bids for another bigger dredging operation to restore the beach to 2015 levels. The Fall emergency dredging placed 90,000 cubic yards on the beach but most has already washed away. The new project is expected to be much larger and deposit between 600,000 and 800,000 cubic yards of sand.
On Wednesday morning I checked out the wildlife around the inlet including a Harbor Seal, Common Eiders, and Long Tailed Ducks followed buy a drone flight to check out the erosion from above. I also was able to catch a surfer catch a few nice rides at the end of the video. Images from the ground and air on pages 2-4 below.