‘Living With the Bay’ deadline extended

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery announced the extension of the application period for its new Citizens’ Advisory Committee, related to the $125 million Rebuild By Design (RBD) “Living with the Bay: Slow Streams” Project. The Citizens Advisory Committee will assume an important role in efforts to enhance resiliency in Nassau County communities surrounding the Mill River. Interested individuals will now have until Sunday, February 14 to apply.

“Through the federally-funded Rebuild By Design projects, the State continues to diversify our efforts to build a better, stronger New York,” said GOSR’s Interim Executive Director, Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Understanding the tremendous input that local residents can provide, we are confident that a CAC will greatly benefit the Living with the Bay Project.

“Living with the Bay” provides a comprehensive suite of resiliency interventions for communities around the Mill River, which is an environmentally degraded north-south tributary flowing from Hempstead Lake State Park into the South Shore of Long Island’s Back Bay. The purpose of the Slow Streams project is to increase community resilience by mitigating local risk from tidal and stormwater flooding, while incorporating environmental co-benefits such as water quality improvements, ecological restoration, and aquifer recharge. In addition, the project creates public access to the river, reconnecting communities with the natural environment and providing economic development opportunities. This comprehensive strategy will be accomplished by addressing stormwater mitigation concerns and needs in the northern, middle, and southern sections of the Mill River.