Great Sodus and Little Sodus Bays, New York
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supports the people and infrastructure of the Sodus Bays
A Brief History of the Sodus Bays
For nearly 200 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has safeguarded the people and industries of Sodus Bay.
GREAT SODUS BAY
Dredging
USACE has dredged Great Sodus Bay as far back as 1892, as documented in a letter from Chief of Engineers Dan C. Kingman dated August 15, 1892. According to an internal history file, the first occurrence of dredging in Great Sodus by USACE was actually in 1835!
The most recent dredging of the navigation channel took place between July and August, 2018. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $16 million dredging contract to Luedke Engineering Co. of Frankfort, Mich. in which approximately 56,000 cubic yards of material was removed. It was last dredged in 2004 but over the years had silted in.
Great Sodus Bay dredging, August 27, 2018. Video by John Kucko Digital.
The dredged material was used to address a breach between Charles Point and Crescent Beach that developed in 2016 and widened in 2017 during record-high water levels on Lake Ontario. Waves carrying heavy amounts of silt were crashing directly into the bay by way of the breach.
Navigation structures
Damaging wave energy and fluctuating lake levels are ever-present realities at Sodus Point. To provide protection for navigation within the federal harbor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1834 completed construction of the east and west seawalls and piers. USACE has the formal responsibility for maintenance of these structures.
The recent spate of high water events on Lake Ontario beginning in 2017 have exacerbated the need for continual federal engineering support.
Syracuse.com news report on May 29, 2019. Video by N. Scott Trimble.
"Years of erosion and the recent historic flooding that inundated Lake Ontario Communities like Sodus severely damaged the very same protective infrastructure that the Army Corps of Engineers built decades ago to protect Sodus Bay and homes along Charles Point,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer in 2018.
The bluffs and communities overlooking Lake Ontario at Sodus Point are 40 to 60 feet high and are comprised of very erodible soils, mainly silts and fine sands. A combination of fluctuating lake levels, wind-generated waves, groundwater seepage, and vegetation loss has resulted in severe erosion of the bluffs.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District contractor Great Lakes Dock & Materials, L.L.C makes repairs to 525 feet of the Great Sodus Bay east breakwater/Charles Point steel sheet pile wall, December 11, 2020.
In 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District awarded a $3.86 million contract to Michigan-based Great Lakes Dock & Materials, L.L.C, for repairs to the east breakwater. Construction included repairs to approximately 525 feet of the Charles Point steel sheet pile bulkhead, and work was completed May 19, 2021. The successful repair will provide protection from erosion of the bluff and potential breach into the harbor.
Finished repairs at Great Sodus Bay/Charles Point, June 7, 2021. Photos by Mike Schallmo.
"Repairing the Great Sodus harbor is directly tied to the long-term economic growth, quality of life, and environmental health of the harbor," said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, Buffalo District commander.
The map below ⬇ displays important locations which could be impacted if the pier remains damaged.
The graphic below ⬇ displays property parcels that could be impacted if the pier remains damaged.
Potential Impact Area. Values are based on real property tax assessments from these parcels, and don’t reflect any detailed coastal zone damage assessments. Figures simply reflect property values at various setbacks.
Great Sodus Bay repair project
LITTLE SODUS BAY
Navigation structures
According to an internal history file, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Little Sodus Harbor west pier in 1854 and the east pier in 1874. The east and west breakwaters were also constructed around 1874.
Over time, sections of the steel sheet pile wall along the channel side of the west pier began separating from the concrete cap, and repairs were needed.
Years of strong winds and flooding have severely deteriorated [Little Sodus] harbor and its fixtures, and its pier and barrier bar are now collapsing," said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2019, "With water levels on Lake Ontario reaching high water levels...the harbor and surrounding communities stand in danger of severe flooding."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District completed temporary measures to secure the west pier on August 1, 2019. Engineering and design of a permanent repair to the severely damaged west pier section was completed in 2020. Construction of repairs is required in the near future to prevent further damage.
Additional federal funding will be needed for a permanent repair to the damaged area. The repair work at Little Sodus Bay pier will have to compete against other federal infrastructure needs across the Nation, for limited funds, before repairs can be implemented.
Before and after: Little Sodus harbor west pier repairs.
"The Corps utilized a unique contracting strategy to construct temporary measures to secure the pier as quickly as possible," said Lex Barker, Project Manager.
The map below ⬇ displays important locations which could be impacted if the pier remains damaged.
The graphic below ⬇ displays property parcels that could be impacted if the pier remains damaged.
Potential Impact Area. Values are based on real property tax assessments from these parcels, and don’t reflect any detailed coastal zone damage assessments. Figures simply reflect property values at various setbacks.
Dredging
The first instance of USACE dredging in Little Sodus was in 1867. USACE last dredged Little Sodus in 2018 when approximately 91,000 cubic yards of material was removed.
The most recent dredging overall occurred in January 2021 as part of a $15 million regional dredging initiative through Governor Cuomo’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative . The Little Sodus Bay project removed approximately 6,000 cubic yards of sediment.
USACE dredging in 2018. Photo courtesy of HistoricSodusPoint.com
Future of the Sodus Bays
"As our community faces another year of high water levels along Lake Ontario, Little Sodus Bay is experiencing serious flooding and damage. Without repair, the harm to the shoreline and harbor will cause long-tem, costly challenges for the community, and inhibit tourism for years to come." - Congressman John Katko (R-NY 24th District)
Congressman Katko's quote can apply to numerous communities, not only on Lake Ontario, but across the Great Lakes. Despite Congressional support, challenges remain for the people of the Sodus Bays.
“Unfortunately, it has become increasingly apparent that, across the Great Lakes, the need to repair aged harbor infrastructure has exceeded the means to execute these repairs," said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, Buffalo District commander. "It is a critical time to invest in harbor maintenance because it creates a resilient shoreline that can withstand future water level highs and lows."
- Maintenance of the Sodus Bay channel is critical to the functioning of the Bay, but the Corps of Engineers no longer maintains navigation channels regularly unless used for commercial shipping purposes. The channel is only dredged when a problem with water depth occurs or is imminent, and where sufficient political support can be brought to find funding for the maintenance.
- The Village of Sodus Point is working with the The Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) to improve conditions after significant high water and flood events. See: https://soduspointredi.com/
- A REDI project at Blind Sodus Bay near Little Sodus is currently underway. The goal of the project is to restore the pre-2017 ecology within Blind Sodus Bay. See below.
Blind Sodus Bay REDI Project
Left: 1857 chart of Great Sodus Bay Right: 1878 survey of the southern shore of Lake Ontario from Charlotte, Pultneyville, Sodus Point to Little Sodus Bay and Fair Haven.
Additional Resources
- To see USACE project photos of Great Sodus, visit the project’s Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157715623196412
- To see USACE project photos of Little Sodus, visit the project’s Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157715548037851
- To learn more about USACE Buffalo: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/
- Detailed project map of Great Sodus: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Portals/45/docs/Navigation/GreatSodus/Great%20Sodus%20Bay(24)(Sept2019).pdf?ver=2019-09-04-153657-980
- Detailed project map of Little Sodus: https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Portals/45/docs/Navigation/LittleSodus/Little%20Sodus(26)(Feb2018).pdf?ver=2019-06-18-085907-063
