Residents of the storm battered Hashamomuck Cove in Southold Town got some great news this week — a long-anticipated feasibility study is set to begin in the next few days, and will be fully funded by the federal government.
“I have been working closely with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to keep them engaged in the project at Hashamomuck Cove,” said Congressman Tim Bishop. “I am glad to hear that the Corps will begin their study within the next week or so. This study, which should take about six months to complete, is the first step that must be completed before any work can be undertaken. The $2.6 million study will be fully funded by the federal government.”
And that was a welcome relief for Southold resident Lynn Laskos, whose home is located on Hashamomuck Cove; she has been advocating for the study for years, as storms battered the shoreline, resulting in significant erosion and flooding on County Road 48.
“I received a phone call from Congressman Timothy Bishop with some great news about our Hashamomuck Cove project,” Laskos wrote last week. “The Hashamomuck Cove feasibility study will begin next week and last for six monts. At that point recommendations about saving County Road 48 will be presented. The Cove and all the families want to thank Congressman Bishop for his support.”
According to the United States Army Corp of Engineers, Hashamomuck Cove is located on the Long Island Sound, on the North Fork, and the study area extends along both the Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, east to Orient Point and west to, and including, both sides of Goldsmith’s Inlet.
The study area, the Army Corps said, including several businesses and private homes, is subject to “substantial overwashing and erosion during coastal storms. Additionally, County Road 48 may be subject to undermining along Hashamomuck Cove.”
A federal shoreline protection project along State Route 25 was completed in 2011, which was damaged due to erosion of the shoreline.
Laskos has cried out for years over conditions at Hashamomuck Cove, as the shoreline was battered by severe storms, including Sandy.
One of the most critical concerns, Laskos has said, has been the fear that the flooding from the Sound could breach County Road 48, making it impassable in the event of an emergency when residents to the east might need to evacuate. Gas and water mains could be crippled during such an event, she said.
Her home and others along the shoreline, are the only structures standing between the Sound and County Road 48, as the beach continues to erode, Laskos said.
