Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the deployment of 16 rail cars to the Atlantic Beach Reef during the third year of New York’s historic expansion of artificial reefs off the shores of Long Island. The Governor directed this strategic deployment of rail cars – another 16 of the 75 total rail cars donated by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation – to Atlantic Beach Reef to improve New York’s diverse marine life and boost Long Island’s recreational and sport fishing and diving industries. In September, the tug “Jane,”16 rail cars, and a steel turbine were dropped on Hempstead Reef, the first of multiple reef deployments in 2020.
“We continue to honor New York’s environmental legacy and our commitment to conservation by growing our state’s network of artificial reefs. These areefs benefit our environment by restoring fisheries and putting surplus materials to productive use,” Governor Cuomo said. “With this new addition, we are advancing our efforts to strengthen the marine environment for future generations of New Yorkers.”
As directed by the Governor in April 2018 – and with unprecedented, multi-agency coordination – recycled materials from the State Department of Transportation (DOT), New York Power Authority(NYPA)/Canal Corporation, and the Thruway Authority, among other public and private partners, are being put to new use to develop New York’s artificial reef sites.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) manages the state’s 12 artificial reefs, which include two reefs in Long Island Sound, two in the Great South Bay, and eight in the Atlantic Ocean. The 413-acre Atlantic Beach Reef is located three nautical miles south of Atlantic Beach with a depth of 55-64 feet. One of the first reefs created in New York State, this reef was previously comprised of two vessels, nine barges, surplus armored vehicles, 404 auto bodies, 10 Good Humor trucks, steel crane and boom, rock, concrete slabs, pipes, culvert, decking, and rubble.
Materials used for the reef expansion are being strategically placed and include hard, durable structures such as rock, concrete, and steel. DEC oversees cleaning of contaminants from recycled reef materials to mitigate potential impacts to sea life before being deployed to the reef sites. Once materials and vessels settle to the sea floor, larger fish, such as blackfish, black sea bass, cod and summer flounder, move in to inhabit the new structures, and encrusting organisms such as barnacles, sponges, anemones, corals, and mussels cling to and cover the material. Over time, these recycled structures create a habitat like a natural reef.
Out-of-service materials deployed in 2019 to the Atlantic Beach Reef were provided by DOT, NYPA/Canal Corporation, and National Grid, and include:
- Thirty-five 20-foot concrete barriers;
- Twenty steel girders with concrete tops from the Staten Island Expressway;
- Fifteen 5-40-foot steel pipes from the Kosciuszko Bridge;
- One 75-foot decommissioned dump scow;
- Eight 20-foot pontoons;
- Twenty-six 10-14-foot lake buoys;
- Four pieces of a 100-foot decommissioned dump scow;
- One anchor;
- One navigational buoy; and
- One steel turbine and steel turbine shells.
