With two hurricanes in the past two years, a recent blizzard and heavy rains, the already dire erosion situation on the bluffs in Sound Beach has gotten even worse.
Last year, a home at 16 Shore Drive in danger of falling into the sound was condemned by the Town of Brookhaven. Now, according to Willie Jones, president of the Sound Beach Property Owners Association, a home at 9 Shore Drive is also in danger thanks to erosion issues stemming from a pipe broken during Sandy.
Jones said that he has been discussing erosion issues with the Town since 2005, but plans from the town have changed time and time again and now the issues have gotten worse while nothing has been fixed. A Town of Brookhaven easement for the broken pipe is the latest issue, according to Jones.
"I have blueprints of multiple plans over the last several years and they keep changing them," Jones said. "This will be our fourth season with no east beach staircase, which is running under the easement."
With no access to the east beach, the SBPOA is losing members each year and are struggling to run as an organization.
"We're losing membership, losing money and it’s getting tighter and tighter for us to run," Jones said. "The amount of soil lost in the last storm is enormous...staircase sections too."
Councilwoman Jane Bonner has been in ongoing discussions with Jones, but issues with the highway department have slowed the process. According to Bonner, the town, highway department, FEMA and an outside engineering company recently met to get on the same page and begin work on emergency mitigation measures.
"I'm anxious to fix this and help," Bonner said. "The Town of Brookhaven, my office and our department of environmental protection have been working diligently with the SBPOA over the past year. We’ve had several meetings and come up with two different proposals to ameliorate the problem."
Both parties point to recent issues with the problem, and while Bonner seemed confident that the ball would start rolling now that Dan Losquadro has been elected highway supe, Jones is not yet convinced.
"I'm tying to set up appointment with Losquadro, but I don’t know what his plans are for re-election," Jones said. "What’s he going to do in six months?"
As long as storm water continues to drain directly onto the bluffs, erosion will continue to quicken and put homes in the area in danger.
Click through the above pictures to see the erosion issues and broken pipe. Share your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.
