Living with the Bay Projects

The Hempstead Lake State Park Project will make improvements to public lands managed by the State of New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The Proposed Project consists of four (4) components intended to improve stormwater management, enhance natural ecosystems by improving water quality, provide connectivity among diverse populations, enhance safety, and promote education programs at the Park. 

The Proposed Activity components are as follows: 

• Repair and replacement of dams, restoration of gatehouses, and installation of bridges; 

• Installation of floatables and sediment controls within Northern Ponds;

• Establishment of environmental education and resiliency center; and 

• Greenway alignment and improvements to trails, gateways, and waterfront access.  

Status: in construction as of April 2020

The Smith Pond Project located in Rockville Centre will improve water quality, enhance recreation, restore the ecological system to promote native aquatic species, and expand the hydraulic surge capacity of the pond.

Project elements include:

• the removal of invasive species and replacement with native plants on the shores of the pond;

• improvements to existing pathways and overlooks;

• connection to the Mill River Greenway;

• adding a fish ladder;

• adding floodwalls to the eastern and western shores of the pond;

• making improvements to the existing weir

• and stormwater improvements to an adjacent parking lot.

Status: in construction as of December 2020

The East Rockaway High School Project will make improvements at a public high school in East Rockaway by:

• installing a bulkhead near the school’s football field to reduce erosion and protect against storm surge

• facilitate the raising of the athletic fields to provide better stormwater management

• install drainage improvements to the parking areas for better stormwater management and improved water quality

• and install a full facility emergency generator to support the school during power disruptions. 

Status: substantially complete as of August 27, 2021

The East and West Boulevard Project, located in Bay Park, will take steps to mitigate the effects of tidal inundation during storm events.   This area is particularly prone to flooding, which can occur even during non-storm events because of high tides or during storm events when high tides fill the stormwater system and prevent the evacuation of stormwater from the project area.  The project will prevent tidal waters from entering the stormwater system but allow stormwater to exit the system during low tides through the installation of check valves and improvements to the existing drainage system.  The project will also install bioswales and porous pavement to treat stormwater before it enters the bay, thereby improving water quality in the bay.
 

The Lister Park Project, located in Rockville Centre, will implement a suite of resiliency, water quality, and drainage improvements to an area along the Mill River composed of the existing Village of Rockville Centre’s Department of Public Works storage yard and several public parks known as Bligh Field, Centennial Field, Lister Park, and Tighe Field.

The improvements will include:

• a living shoreline to combat erosion and filter urban and stormwater runoff entering the Mill River

• bioretention basins and drainage improvements to improve stormwater management and treatment

• flood protection improvements to protect surrounding residential areas (berm and bioretention basins)

• greenway connections

• and an improved overlook to connect residents to the Mill River.

Status: in construction as of December 2020

The Greenway Project will create greenways connecting communities with sections of the project area and focus areas along the Mill River, starting near Hempstead High School north of Hempstead Lake State Park, through Hempstead Lake State Park, south to Smith Pond and Lister Park, and continue south terminating at Bay Park.

The Greenway will include educational signage, benches, lighting, pollinator gardens, ADA compliance, and other amenities along the path.

Status: in construction as of December 2020

The Long Beach Water Pollution Control Plan Consolidation Project (WPCP) will include the following components: (1) conversion of the Long Beach WPCP’s headworks and influent pump to a diversion pump station; (2) installation of a 24-inch force main from the diversion pump station to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant (STP); and (3) connection from the force main to the Bay Park STP's 64-inch influent header.

The force main installation will require a combination of construction techniques, including traditional cut-and-cover methods that entail trenching (on the landside), as well as a trenchless method that utilizes horizontal direction drilling (HDD). The alignment will be primarily located within Nassau County and City of Long Beach municipal properties and the existing easement for the existing Bay Park STP discharge outfall, which will remain in place.

This project will both harden the WPCP at Long Beach and reduce effluent carried by storm surge during extreme weather events as well as reduce nitrogen input into Hewlett Bay contributing to natural restoration of the marsh islands over time.

Status: in construction spring 2022

LWTB has worked with relevant community organizations and educational institutions to develop public education programs. Specifically, LWTB has partnered with Hofstra University on several programs to promote social resiliency including:

• Summer Science Research Program for High School Students

• K-12 Education Programs related to the Mill River

• Sustainability Certificate Program for Local Leaders and Policy Makers

• Workforce Development and job training in collaboration with BOCES.

• Educational Signage for the Greenway

In Addition, LWTB has also partnered with Seatuck Environmental Association on several fish and avian surveys throughout the LWTB project area and educational programs such as “A Day in the Life of the Mill River”.