The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Debris Program awarded $752,882 to Connecticut to remove marine debris caused by the October 2012 Storm Sandy from the state’s shoreline, the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection announced Monday.
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The Marine Debris Program funds were made available to Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states whose communities and coastal resources were impacted by the storm. Remaining debris pose potential hazards to navigation and commercial fishing, as well as to sensitive ecosystems in the tidal marshes of the Long Island Sound.
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DEEP identified eight areas for debris removal activates: Connecticut River tidal marsh areas in Old Lyme and Old Saybrook; Hammonasset State Park in Madison; West River and East River Marshes in Guilford; West Point in Branford; Carolina Creek in East Haven; Silver Sands State Park in Milford; Housatonic River Marshes in Milford and Stratford; and finally the Pleasure Beach area in Stratford and Bridgeport.
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DEEP will conduct work with specialized equipment to remove hazardous material, demolition material, derelict vessels, and smaller debris such as plastic, foam, and Styrofoam, while it will continuously monitor and survey its work.
