LSPA May 2026 Membership Meeting

Membership Meeting Presentation Information
For LSPs and environmental professionals, climate change is increasingly complicating the implementation and long‑term protectiveness of response actions at coastal and flood‑prone sites. Sea level rise, increased storm surge, and recurring flooding raise fundamental questions about remedy selection, source control, and future land use under the MCP. This month’s Membership Meeting will share an example of how to integrate contaminant removal, ecological restoration, and public process to address long‑term risk in a changing coastal environment. While the Massachusetts regulatory framework differs from New York’s, the challenges are increasingly shared.

The Mastic Beach and Smith Point area of the Shirley Peninsula on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, has experienced repeated flooding driven by sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation. Home to approximately 13,000 residents, the area is one of eight New York Rising Community Reconstruction locations. In response to increasing flood risk, the Town of Brookhaven implemented a voluntary buyout program to remove residential structures from high‑risk areas as part of a managed retreat strategy. In 2018 and 2020, the Town received National Coastal Resilience Grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support design of a large‑scale saltmarsh restoration project in southern Mastic Beach.

Restoration planning included baseline ecological surveys, sediment sampling and analysis, hydrodynamic modeling, and extensive public outreach. Modeling demonstrated that no single intervention could adequately address flooding and storm impacts. Consequently, the project design focused on restoring hydrologic and ecological function within a 147‑acre floodplain by reconnecting the marsh to its natural floodplain and enhancing habitat connectivity. Nature‑based solutions, including managed retreat, marsh restoration, and natural and nature‑based features, were incorporated to buffer inland flooding, reduce erosion, and improve long‑term resilience.

The proposed restoration will reestablish a functional saltmarsh ecosystem, improve habitat for at‑risk species such as the Saltmarsh Sparrow, and restore tidal exchange through targeted road removals and tidal creek creation. The project also addresses legacy contamination by removing DDT‑impacted sediments associated with historic mosquito control practices and transporting them off Long Island for disposal. Additional enhancements include invasive species control, construction of maritime hammocks to attenuate wave energy, and improvements to stormwater drainage to reduce impacts to adjacent properties.

Key lessons include:

• The importance of sustained stakeholder collaboration;
• The prevalence of pesticide contamination in coastal marshes;
• The regulatory complexity of large‑scale restoration projects; and
• The effectiveness of nature‑based solutions in reducing flood and erosion risk.

Schedule: