Living Breakwaters
Living Breakwaters: A Beacon of Resilience and Community
The Living Breakwaters of Staten Island
After Superstorm Sandy devastated Staten Island’s South Shore, the Living Breakwaters project was born! This isn’t just a barrier—it’s a vibrant ecosystem designed to protect Tottenville from future storms while reviving marine life with oyster-friendly tide pools and innovative breakwaters. Born from the Rebuild by Design competition, this project showcases the power of community engagement, with residents, fishermen, and designers collaborating to build smarter, not just stronger. From reducing wave action to replenishing shorelines, Living Breakwaters is a model for fighting climate change with nature
The Living Breakwaters, located in the Raritan Bay off the shoreline of Tottenville, NY in their final stages of completion in October 2024. This photo indicates their permitted alphabetic naming...
The Living Breakwaters' “Reef ridges” and “reef streets” provide intertidal habitat space for diverse marine species.
The Living Breakwaters' ECOncrete™ units on the breakwaters are designed to attract marine life.
Living Breakwater "D", The Billion Oyster Project team traversing the structures and installing oyster larvae in the field.
At Living Breakwater "D", The Billion Oyster Project team is showing how oyster larvae are prepared and transferred onto the structures.
Living Breakwaters provide habitat similar to that of oyster reefs that were once found in Raritan Bay. The breakwaters attenuate waves, reduce beach erosion, and provide a range of habitat...
Living Breakwater "G", A harbor seal "hauls out" on the Living Breakwaters. Harbor seals are making themselves at home on the breakwaters.
Innovative Infrastructure
Living Breakwaters is an innovative coastal green infrastructure project designed to reduce or reverse erosion and damage from storm waves, improve the ecosystem health of Raritan Bay, and encourage stewardship of our nearshore waters and generally enhance people’s experience of the shoreline of southern Staten Island.
The project also includes funding for social resiliency programming, a one-time beach restoration near Conference House Park in Tottenville, Staten Island, and oyster restoration on the completed breakwaters.
The design of the Living Breakwaters was initially developed by SCAPE Landscape Architecture for the Rebuild by Design (RBD) Competition, a design competition held by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to seek cutting edge ideas for coastal resilience in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Construction of the Breakwaters and beach restoration was implemented by the Office of Resilient Homes and Communities (RHC) and its predecessor the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery with social resiliency programming and oyster restoration in partnership with the Billion Oyster Project.
The Living Breakwaters Project is funded by HUD through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding as well as with funds from New York State.
Construction of the breakwaters began in August of 2021 and was completed in October 2024..
The beach restoration began in January 2024 and was completed in April 2024.
Social resiliency programming will continue until the end of 2026.
The first round of oyster restoration was completed in July 2025 with the second and final round anticipated in the Summer of 2026.
Living Breakwaters Phase III – Oyster Restoration Implementation Oyster Restoration Implementation
Completed in October 2024, the Living Breakwaters project is comprised of eight, 400-foot long structures designed to dissipate wave energy, provide habitats and mitigate decades of beach erosion along the Tottenville shoreline.
Located along the south shore of Staten Island, Tottenville was originally protected by tidal wetlands and oyster reefs and was home to a thriving oyster industry. Years of development and industrialization of the New York Harbor diminished these natural protections and destroyed the oyster industry. Phase III of the Breakwaters project is designed to restore this vital protection and revive the oyster population in this area of the harbor.
During July, the Billion Oyster Project (BOP) team commenced the first of two in-situ trials, introducing approximately 70 million oyster larvae to Breakwater D. The projected yield is anticipated to be approximately 7 million spat, or baby oysters. The BOP team will return to the site throughout 2025 and 2026 to conduct preliminary spat counts and monitor the health of the oysters. A final oyster installation is planned for the Summer of 2026 that will include up to 3 additional breakwaters.
In addition to the oyster installation, BOP, in partnership with SandyGround Historical Society, will lead two Annual Shoreline Explorations near Conference House Park, as well as two Annual Community Shoreline Celebrations during the installation period.
PROJECT TIMELINE DETAILS
Design Start Date: Summer 2015 Procurement Start Date: Winter 2019 Construction Start Date: August 2021 | Funding Total Funding: $114,000,000 Sources
Includes Funding for:
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