With Mother Nature eroding TOBAY Beach over the past three years and the Army Corps. of Engineers unable to deliver sand this season, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and members of the Town Board today unveiled the largest beach restoration project on Long Island. On a daily basis, trucks filled with screened, cleaned and processed sand have been arriving at TOBAY Beach. The beach will be ready for Memorial Day Weekend thanks to this initiative, which results in 33,000 tons of sand replenishment at TOBAY Beach. Prior to these efforts, high tide reached and threatened the center ocean pavilion, as well as the dunes that protect Ocean Parkway.

 

Supervisor Saladino stated, “The men and women of the Town of Oyster Bay workforce have saved the summer! We’ve literally moved a mountain of sand to fortify the shoreline at TOBAY Beach and ensured residents have a new, clean beach to enjoy this Memorial Day Weekend. My colleagues on the Town Board and I understand how beloved the beautiful TOBAY Beach is to our residents. That’s why we immediately sprang into action to save our beach and save the summer.”

 

In recent years, Town workers combed sand from the west end of TOBAY to the east, helping increase the shoreline – especially at the center pavilion. With conditions further eroding annually, Town officials met with Federal officials and entered into a contract with the Army Corps. of Engineers to bring sand from the Fire Island Inlet to TOBAY Beach. The project was set to commence prior to the 2022 beach season; however, the contractor retained by the Army Corps. of Engineers backed out of the full dredging project this year – causing sections of the Fire Island Inlet to go un-dredged. For TOBAY Beach, this meant no new sand and a real threat for beach season. High tides also threatened the structural integrity of the center pavilion, as well as the dunes that protect Ocean Parkway. For this reason, the Town Board authorized the purchase of over 33,000 tons of sand, originating from far beneath Earth’s surface and processed under strict environmental guidelines, to be delivered to the shoreline at TOBAY Beach.