Braddock Bay

[GAMBLER]

While fishing the bay this fall and on the ice the other day, I noticed the break wall set up they put in is actually causing issues with the bay.  It looks like the sand is washing into the bay through the East end between the Point and the wall when the water is high.  The sand at the end of the point now extends way into the bay.  Spots I used to set tip ups is now dry land.  I thought the point of the break wall was to keep the bay from filling in?   

[whaler1]

Is it coming in through the the gap to the east?

[GAMBLER]

17 minutes ago, whaler1 said:

Is it coming in through the the gap to the east?

Yes.  It is coming in between the point and the end of the wall.  The point now extends way deeper into the bay than it did before the wall was constructed.  It must be when the water is high and the winds crank out of the NE it pushes sand into the bay.  

[whaler1]

Yep that’s what I figured 

You can actually see it from the parking lot. 

Edited January 23 by whaler1

[Lucky13]

It took a little time to assemble this response.  Further comment than this will have to come from the Town of Greece or NYSDEC as they are the entities in charge of the project site, and USACE official involvement has ended.

 

I spoke with my contact from the project, as I was the County representative on the project. This is the professional opinion of Josh Unghire, who is an ecologist with USACE Buffalo District, and was the USACE Technical Lead for the Planning and Implementation of the project.  

 

"I think the shallow area the fisherman may be describing is a relic of the 2017 high water event.  During the spring of 2017, sand placement in-front of the stone barrier was only partially complete, the high water event and waves of that spring mobilized a good portion of that sand over the barrier and into the bay behind.  This sand was pushed over the breakwater to the back side, and south east side of the breakwater, near the point (see image below).  In subsequent sampling years, I did notice shallow water in these areas during monitoring.  We actually targeted some of the shallow areas on the backside of the barrier for additional plantings in 2018, because of their ideal depths for emergent vegetation.   So the shoaling in this location was more likely a one time event, resulting from the highwater and incomplete barrier beach, rather than an ongoing process.  I think its very unlikely the barrier beach has induced sedimentation within the bay, because after all prior to construction the bay was an open system with evidence that littoral sediments (sediments coming in from the lake near shore) were being trapped within the bay.  Incoming littoral sediments now form submerged pointbars visible in aerial imagery, in front of the barrier beach, as they are conveyed down drift to the east."   The image is attached below.  Also attached is an aerial from spring 2021 which shows the persistence of this shallow area.  Finally, the final project fact sheet published by USACE is attached.  

 

It needs to be remembered that 2017 and 2019 were record high levels in the Lake, and fall 2023 was the lowest water since about 2015, which may be contributing to the perception that the bay is being filled from the Lake.  

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Areas of Sand accumulation_BraddockBay.pdf

 

Low_Water_Sandy area_April2021.pdf

 

Braddock Bay Closeout Fact Sheet.pdf

 

 

 

[GAMBLER]

37 minutes ago, Lucky13 said:

It took a little time to assemble this response.  Further comment than this will have to come from the Town of Greece or NYSDEC as they are the entities in charge of the project site, and USACE official involvement has ended.

 

I spoke with my contact from the project, as I was the County representative on the project. This is the professional opinion of Josh Unghire, who is an ecologist with USACE Buffalo District, and was the USACE Technical Lead for the Planning and Implementation of the project.  

 

"I think the shallow area the fisherman may be describing is a relic of the 2017 high water event.  During the spring of 2017, sand placement in-front of the stone barrier was only partially complete, the high water event and waves of that spring mobilized a good portion of that sand over the barrier and into the bay behind.  This sand was pushed over the breakwater to the back side, and south east side of the breakwater, near the point (see image below).  In subsequent sampling years, I did notice shallow water in these areas during monitoring.  We actually targeted some of the shallow areas on the backside of the barrier for additional plantings in 2018, because of their ideal depths for emergent vegetation.   So the shoaling in this location was more likely a one time event, resulting from the highwater and incomplete barrier beach, rather than an ongoing process.  I think its very unlikely the barrier beach has induced sedimentation within the bay, because after all prior to construction the bay was an open system with evidence that littoral sediments (sediments coming in from the lake near shore) were being trapped within the bay.  Incoming littoral sediments now form submerged pointbars visible in aerial imagery, in front of the barrier beach, as they are conveyed down drift to the east."   The image is attached below.  Also attached is an aerial from spring 2021 which shows the persistence of this shallow area.  Finally, the final project fact sheet published by USACE is attached.  

 

It needs to be remembered that 2017 and 2019 were record high levels in the Lake, and fall 2023 was the lowest water since about 2015, which may be contributing to the perception that the bay is being filled from the Lake.  

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Areas of Sand accumulation_BraddockBay.pdf 90.17 kB · 1 download

 

Low_Water_Sandy area_April2021.pdf 256.68 kB · 1 download

 

Braddock Bay Closeout Fact Sheet.pdf 2.55 MB · 1 download

 

 

 

They may want to check again.  It's getting worse every year.  It is worse since those photos.