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Scoping Session Workshop Report

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Storm surge barriers or tide gates can minimize flooding and protect people and property during large storms. Yet their environmental effects are poorly understood and feasibility studies of potential surge barriers need to consider a range of potential impacts on an estuary. To broaden understanding of surge barriers being considered for the New York-New Jersey harbor, a 2018 catalyst project modeled and analyzed barriers' physical effects and hosted a series of workshops to synthesize and share information.

About this resource

A project scoping session, held March 25, 2019, invited federal, state, and city agencies, researchers, and non-governmental organizations to contribute to the project's research agenda. This project may be of interest to stakeholders in the Hudson River estuary and New York/New Jersey harbor, and is relevant to anyone interested in surge barriers worldwide. The scoping session's goals were to:

  • Provide an update on the Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility (HAT) Study
  • Take stock of current knowledge of estuary effects of gated storm surge barrier systems
  • Learn of the broad range of stakeholder concerns and interests related to the potential environmental effects of storm surge barriers on the Hudson River Estuary
  • Get input on the draft Scope of Work, including scientific analyses and scientific workshop(s)
  • Identify potential future prospects and funding for deeper science and a broader involvement from the research community

Key scoping session documents:

Scoping session summary - Recap of the workshop and its outcomes.

Final scope of work - Revised scope of work for the Effects of Storm Surge Barriers on the Hudson River Estuary project, including final research topics and methodologies and a planned scientific workshop to share information.

Additional scoping session workshop materials are available here and at the project website.