By Jarrett Murphy City Limits
Tuesday, April 9th, 5-7 p.m. Location: Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, New York, N.YT
“In a process initiated after the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified five strategies for protecting the city from waves and tides that are likely to become more destructive as sea levels rise… [including] a massive sea wall from Sandy Hook, N.J., to Breezy Point in Queens…”
…Doubts about massive tidal barriers are held widely.
Annel Hernandez, associate director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance: “We’re investing heavily in a new climate adaptation economy. We have to make sure the infrastructure is providing other crucial benefits for communities, not just a wall out in the bay that is only activated during the actual emergency event. We would want infrastructure that would be useful and accessible on a sunny day,” like waterfront parks that absorb water and provide recreation…
“The problem with a sea wall is, it would have a lot of impacts on the health of the waterways which would in turn would have an impact on the ability for ecologically grounded coastal protections,” Hernandez added. Sea walls, for instance, can change how tides and sediments move, which can affect the health of wetlands that resist storm surge.”