Hempstead Reef

Environment August 26, 2019

After reef therapy, LI waterways feeling much better

By GREGORY ZELLER // New York State’s artificial-reef program has migrated north, with a fresh deployment of inorganic materials creating a new “marine habitat” in the Long Island Sound. One year after dumping hundreds of tons of recycled materials three miles off the South Shore – including chunks of the blowed-up-real-good Tappan Zee Bridge – Albany’s Artificial Reef Initiative is looking to increase fishing and recreational opportunities off Nassau County’s North Shore with a similar…

News August 20, 2018

In unique recycling effort, all decks on hand

By GREGORY ZELLER // The last of the concrete deck panels from the “retired” Tappan Zee Bridge have been delivered to their new homes. According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, a total of 135 deck panels – each measuring 3 feet wide by 50 feet long by 8.25 inches thick, and weighing in the neighborhood of 50 tons – have been delivered to nine specific municipalities and the NYS Department of Transportation. The recycled panels,…

Environment August 10, 2018

With artificial reefs, loving that sinking feeling

By GREGORY ZELLER // A 744-acre site located three nautical miles off Long Island’s South Shore will become a haven for all manners of aquatic life, thanks to the deployment of recycled materials. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced the deployment of materials to create a new marine habitat at Hempstead Reef, which is now part of the largest artificial-reef expansion in state history – and part of Albany’s ongoing efforts to develop a more…