The Village of Port Jefferson Dilemma: Retreat or Hold Their Ground

There is no debate, Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills is a few years away from becoming an underwater retreat providing unparalleled aquatic views of the Long Island Sound for village residents as they enjoy cuisine from The Grille at Waterview. The village owned property is precariously cascading over the crest of a bluff–a steep cliff or promontory that is partially composed of sand and clay–and towers approximately 100 feet high over Port Jefferson Beach East. Damage from erosion and upper-level drainage have resulted in the bluffs’ slow retreat, and without immediate action, the Village of Port Jefferson could suffer an imminent loss of a major socioeconomic asset. 

Veris Media Group walked along Port Jefferson Beach East with Mayor Lauren Sheprow and Treasurer Stephen Gaffga to discuss the extent of the damage to the bluffs and her administrations’ proposed solution. Pointing at a trench scaling down the side of the bluff, Mayor Sheprow said, “[…] I can’t look at this and say I know what happened here.” She suggested that it might have resulted from surface runoff upland, but then walked back the statement, saying, […] It doesn’t look like it came over the top and flushed everything down. […] It looks like it breached inside, below and out.” Whatever the cause, timber terraces, biodegradable coil logs, and deep-rooted vegetation from Phase One of the East Bluff Stabilization Project had been heavily damaged by recent storms.

Former Mayor Margot Garant acknowledged the severity of the erosion issue at Port Jefferson Beach East in 2015, as she stated in a November 2022 issue of The Port eReport: “I walked East Beach in 2015 when the aggressive erosion began.” Along with her were coastal engineers from Huntington Station-based GEI Consultants, Inc., and members of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Garant said it took 6 years to procure DEC permits necessary for construction of “[…] the lower base steel, concrete, and rock revetment “splash wall.” Phase One of the project wrapped up in Spring 2023, with TBR News Media reporting that the phase included “[…] installation of a 454-foot rigid wall at the base, terracing and native grass plantings on the bluff face.” Treasurer Stephen Gaffga told Veris Media Group that the cost of Phase One came in “[…] just under $5.8 million,” and was paid for by local taxpayer dollars financed through an issued bond.  

Despite the severity of the situation, Mayor Sheprow says the next phase of the project cannot begin until they receive a greenlight from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a process that the Village of Port Jefferson initiated in 2022. The approval concurrently allows the village to restore blown out portions of the bluff and damaged installations from the previous phase. Once completed, Mayor Sheprow says Phase Two can begin, “[…] installing the upland wall […] so that whatever water might have been seeping through and pushing out […] can’t.”

Dr. Henry Bokuniewicz, an internationally recognized expert on beach erosion, conveyed to Veris Media Group that he agrees that the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills is in imminent danger, but there is a looming uncertainty over the source of the erosion. Dr. Bokuniewicz believes groundwater drainage may be contributing to the bluff erosion, “[…] water that seeps into the ground eventually has to make its way to the Long Island Sound,” he said. As groundwater seeps out of the face of the bluff, it produces the same result as waves eating away at the bottom, “[…] It can carve away at the bluff’s face and cause it to collapse […] that’s the one that probably, in my opinion, is the most immediate threat to the building itself.”

Aerial drone footage of the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills balancing precariously over the edge of a rapidly eroding bluff. – Cassandra Skolnick for Veris Media Group LLC

New York Sea Grant argues that in addition, proposed construction exacerbates the situation, “[…] adding weight to the soil [causes] accelerated erosion.” The man-made structures surrounding Port Jefferson Beach East have created devastating conditions for the bluffs, “[…] sediment supply is cut off due to the construction of hard, vertical structures such as bulkheads, seawalls, or jetties,” New York Sea Grant explains. The accelerated erosion would require consistent maintenance and replenishment, something Treasurer Gaffga says has been discussed during the FEMA application process. Mayor Sheprow added that she believes the Village of Port Jefferson should “[…] maintain a capital reserve,” funding the continued maintenance and replenishment and also to have money available for “[…] new technology.”

Residents of the Village of Port Jefferson and neighboring Belle Terre appear more pessimistic about the East Bluff Stabilization Project. Concerns were raised by beachgoers and local property owners about the lack of consideration for residences situated along the North Shore coastline. While residents refused to speak to Veris Media Group on the record, expressing fear of repercussions, there was a frantic excitement to point out erosion occurring between East and West Beach. It is evident that the aggressive erosion is spreading deep along the coastline, with trees uprooted and sand and clay deposits lining the toe of the bluffs.

With these concerns in mind, Mayor Sheprow informed Veris Media Group that she wants to establish a “[…] Resident Commission on erosion and dealing with the erosion.” She believes the Resident Commission would be a powerful countermeasure to the aggressive erosion because, “[…] when something like this happens […] the community out there on foot seeing what’s going on brings it to our attention.” However, when asked for their opinion on the Resident Commission, residents remain skeptical. They expressed that the village’s concern has always been for the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills and the capital it generates for the Village of Port Jefferson.