New York State officials announced the start of construction on three flood resiliency projects in the City of Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County.
The three projects breaking ground were awarded over $6.3 million in grant funding through the State's Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). Once complete, these REDI-funded projects will help mitigate the impact of future high-water events and improve resiliency of the shoreline.
"We are taking bold steps to build resiliency against climate change, making sure we are prepared for the one-in-100 year events that continue to happen all too frequently," says Governor Kathy Hochul. "New York is transforming shoreline communities along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, and these transformative projects will help ensure the wellbeing of every resident and visitor in the City of Ogdensburg and help us fight back against the effects of climate change."
The City was awarded more than $8.3 million by the REDI Commission for a total of four projects. The first of the four awarded resiliency projects, located at the Maple City Trail, began construction earlier this year and work is progressing. These three projects were:
- Morrisette Park and City Dock, $4,875,000: Morrisette Park is a popular gathering place for residents and visitors of the city, offering a tennis court, wooden playground, sanitary pump station, and public parking. Flooding and repeated storm action have severely eroded the park's shoreline and damaged the existing seawall. During flooding, the turnaround and parking area became inundated with water and was deemed unsafe for use forcing the closure of the playground.
Resiliency measures to be implemented in the project consist of installing fill and grading to elevate the park and nearby Caroline Street two to three feet. Existing site features including stormwater structures, asphalt paths, concrete sidewalk, granite memorials and site lighting will be reconstructed or reset to accommodate the grade change. Nature-based sill shoreline protection will be installed on the shoreline northeast of Morrisette Park to provide increased resiliency for the exposed higher portion of the riverbank from future high-water events and wave run-up. The nature-based sill consists of placement of rip-rap stone at the water's edge along with erosion control matting with integrated vegetation upslope from the rip-rap berm. The adjacent City Dock sheet pile wall will be raised by two feet to protect Morrisette Park from flooding during future extreme events. - Municipal Marina and Pier close to Dobisky Center, $911,973: The Ogdensburg Municipal Marina, located on the St. Lawrence River, includes over 70 boat slips, drawing recreational boaters and fishing enthusiasts to the city. Increased water levels have led to structural impairment of the marina's seawall causing inundation of the marina and substantial undercutting of the stormwater outfall. Repeated flooding has eroded the Municipal Marina shoreline leaving the marina unprotected from high water and wave action, resulting in unsafe conditions for users and the temporary closure of a portion of the park, which includes a heavily used gazebo and boardwalk located near the Dobisky Center.
This project consists of stabilizing the river side of the Municipal Pier by installing driven steel sheet piles and cap, rip-rap shoreline protection on the southern shoreline of the Municipal Marina and elevating the existing Gazebo by approximately one foot. - Greenbelt Park, $530,000: Greenbelt Park is located near the confluence of the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence Rivers. Approximately 680 linear feet of waterfront has rip-rap revetment which deteriorated due to frequent wave action. The lack of shoreline protection results in standing water over much of the green space, parking area, and park boat launch, during high river levels.
Flood mitigation measures will consist of rip-rap shoreline protection, extending the existing rip-rap revetment to protect the currently exposed higher portion of the riverbank from future high-water events and wave run-up.
In 2019, the St. Lawrence River had record high water levels that resulted in devastating floods throughout communities along the river's shoreline. These events caused degradation of public infrastructure and restricted public use of popular tourist destinations like the Morrisette Park and the city's public docks, negatively impacting public safety and local economies.
New York had State established REDI to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region. Five REDI Regional Planning Committees, comprised of representatives from eight counties (Niagara and Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, and Jefferson and St. Lawrence) were established to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns. Through REDI, the State has committed up to $300 million to benefit communities and improve resiliency in flood prone regions along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Since the creation of the State's REDI program in the Spring of 2019, 134 REDI funded local and regional projects are underway, including 46 projects in the design phase, 43 projects in the construction phase, and 45 projects completed.
