USGS Report Says Fire Island Breach Stable After Five Years

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has concluded in a detailed report that the channel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay is stable, five years after Hurricane Sandy hit and breached Fire Island.

Although it’s still shifting and will continue to change due to weather, the study findings show the breach is not likely to cause flooding in South Shore communities in the future. The USGS is calling this report one of the most detailed scientific examinations ever performed on the early stages of a barrier island breach.

The lead author of the study, Cheryl Hapke, explained, “Storm strikes are the force that drives the geomorphology-the geologic shape and evolution-of barrier islands along the Northeast coast,” adding, “but until this event, no one ever had the opportunity to watch a breach open and evolve, and to study that process in depth.”

Hapke, a beach erosion expert and USGS oceanographer, said the “wilderness breach” shifted west in the 18 months following Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and grew at a rapid pace. There are benefits to a breach in that it can improve the quality of bay water due to the exchange of seawater and bay water, as well as flushing out pollutants. However, it can also cause dangerous flooding and potential harm to nearby communities.

The opening of the original breach was about 177 feet, but after seven Nor’easters hit the area, the breach reached 1,879 feet, or almost one-third of a mile.

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