A 100-Year Wall — But 100 Years of Bluff Protection?

 

At the September 14 Port Jefferson Civic Association meeting, Mayor Lauren Sheprow presented an update on the Port Jefferson Country Club and the next phase of the East Beach Bluff Stabilization Project. 

During the presentation, the Mayor discussed the redesigned Phase II wall. According to the presentation, the proposed wall is designed to accommodate 3–5 feet of initial exposure and up to 15 feet of future bluff erosion, with a minimum 50-foot sheet-pile embedment and an approximately 100-year service life, assuming proper maintenance.

The Mayor also described the project in terms of protecting the Country Club for 100 years, saying:

“The $6 million that you’re talking about to move the building, that’s how much it’s going to cost to create the wall, to protect the building for 100 years.”

That raises an interesting question:

Does a 100-year wall mean 100 years of bluff protection?

Not necessarily.

A 100-year service life generally describes how long the engineered wall is expected to remain functional with proper maintenance. It does not automatically mean that the bluff will experience no significant erosion for the next 100 years.

The Phase II design reportedly allows for approximately 15 feet of future bluff erosion. Spread evenly over 100 years, that's only about 1.8 inches of erosion per year.

That makes one question particularly important:

What rate of future bluff erosion does GEI expect after Phase I and Phase II are completed?

The answer to that question would help residents understand what the Village means when it talks about 100 years of protection.

The issue isn't whether a 100-year wall can be engineered. It is whether the 100-year service life of the wall and 100 years of protection for the bluff and Country Club are actually the same thing.

That distinction deserves a clear answer before Phase II moves forward.

Could this end up being a scenario where the structure survives, but the environment fails?

If the wall holds up for 100 years, will the village likely end up with a "peninsula" of steel and concrete jutting out into the water, while the natural landscape around it completely changes?

I am not an engineer and don't have the answers but here are other relevant questions I believe residents should be asking:

Here are some additional questions that residents should be asking; after all, the residents will be paying for maintenance, repairs, and continuing bluff erosion long after the current administration, who approves this project, has left office. 

1. What annual bluff-recession rate does GEI predict after Phase I and Phase II are completed?

2. How many feet of cumulative bluff recession can the Phase II design accommodate before the wall can no longer provide the intended protection?

3. Does the approximately 15-foot future-erosion allowance represent the total erosion expected during the 100-year service life, or is it simply the amount of recession the wall can accommodate before additional work is required?

4. What happens if the bluff retreats more than 15 feet?

5. What monitoring triggers would require additional stabilization work?

6. What is the estimated cost of maintaining the wall over its 100-year service life?

7. Who pays for that maintenance and for any major repairs or additional stabilization that may eventually be required?

ONE LAST IMPORTANT NOTE: 

The Country Club's catering operations have failed despite many vendors' attempts. Will the village end up with an empty, non-revenue-generating  building while long-term bonds are still being paid?