Thursday, October 1, 2026
After troubleshooting with utility companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the city of Long Beach is moving forward with some key projects to protect residents on its north shore.
The North Shore Critical Infrastructure Flood Protection Program, initially slated to be completed in October 2024, will continue bulkhead work along the bayfront. At a City Council meeting on March 18, City Manager Dan Creighton explained the situation to residents.
Utilities in the area, including National Grid, PSEG Long Island and Verizon, as well as the Long Island Rail Road, had infrastructure like electrical cables in place where steel bulkheading was to be constructed. Creighton said that the council is considering litigation to recoup funding that was lost due to delays from utility companies assessing their assets.
“We are looking at our options,” he said.
The project ran into other issues. At a former gun range, on Water Street, behind Posh Pets Rescue, soil had to be removed because chemicals had leaked from the ammunition. And near the east end of Water Street, a manhole had to be replaced due to extensive water damage.
On Monroe Boulevard, by the Long Beach Tennis Center, crews could not drive bulkheadsheeting to the depth required to protect shoreline — a complication known as sheeting refusal.
Under the Long Beach Bridge, the Department of Public Works intended to use equipment to drive piles, but it lost permission to do so due to project delays. So the department pivoted to jet grouting, a ground-improvement technique that uses rapid pressure jets to erode and mix cement with soil. The mixing strengthens the structure by reducing permeability and stabilizing the soil.
In total, the project, now anticipated to be completed in March 2027, will cost $5.6 million for construction, electrical work, engineering and inspection, all of which the city expects to be reimbursed by FEMA.
“From the onset, the project has seen significant delays associated with unknown site conditions,” Creighton said, noting 22 change orders since 2023. “We also had to coordinate with numerous utilities and the Long Island Rail Road.”
Ken Arnold, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, said that its engineering design for the concrete bulkheads will ensure that they are structurally strong and have a longer lifespan. Creighton noted that the Long Beach Bridge supports are also concrete.
“We are about 70 percent completed,” Arnold said. “We want to protect our utilities as quick as possible.”
The council then shifted its focus to the water treatment plant on West Pine Street. Creighton said that IMEG, an engineering consulting firm formerly known as Cameron Engineering, was contracted by the city a decade ago to protect the property against future storm surges following Hurricane Sandy. When the city received funding for the project, in January, DPW worked to have it resumed.
IMEG was brought on to develop a hazard mitigation plan for the plant, which included protecting three wellhouses — which filter iron out of water before it is distributed to households and businesses — and a booster pump.
The DPW also plans to install floodproof doors on most of the plant’s structures, install drainage systems, raise electrical components and provide new gas service for one of the pumps.
“The property is right up against the bay and is critical to the system,” Arnold said. “The wellhouses on the property, including Wellhouse 15, are half of our system. They’re vital to our infrastructure.”
The funding for the work at the plant is just under $3 million, which has been approved by FEMA and New York State. Public Works plans to set aside $464,000 from the current city budget and could seek more from the 2027 spending plan.
"I can't think of anything more important than protecting our residents and their drinking water," City Council President Brendan Finn wrote to the Herald. "After decades of vulnerability, chronic flooding in North Park will be resolved and our water treatment plant will be safeguarded from flooding. These projects are hard, but they're definitely worth it."
