Posted on October 13, 2025
Mattituck Inlet could face disaster if a major storm hits before massive dredging takes place, local officials warned during a community meeting.
The waterway that flows from Long Island Sound to Love Lane needs roughly 100,000 cubic yards of sediment removed to prevent what Mattituck Park District chairman Kevin Byrne called a “catastrophic breach.”
“This problem is now real and has now reached crisis level,” Mr. Byrne told about 50 community members, activists and local politicians who gathered at the park district’s Veterans Park office on Monday, Oct. 6.
Mr. Byrne presented photos documenting sand buildup that the district and community members have been tracking. Rising seas and climate change are worsening the situation, he added.
The inlet serves as a harbor of refuge during severe weather and supports recreational boating and commercial operations like Strong’s Marina.
The Army Corps of Engineers has a maintenance dredge planned for just 6,000 cubic yards, but that’s been pushed to October 2026 due to equipment problems.
Mattituck Park District chairman Kevin Byrne speaks with residents about the need for a large-scale dredge at Mattituck Inlet. (Credit: Nicole Wagner)
Mattituck Inlet’s maintenance dredge set for fall 2025 has been postponed by the Army Corps of Engineers to October 2026. (Credit: file photo)
Last year, Mattituck Harbor had about 10,000 cubic yards dredged as part of a $3 million Army Corps project.
A Change.org petition started by the park district, advocating for large-scale dredging and restoration of nearby Bailie Beach, had collected more than 560 signatures as of Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The inlet’s navigation channel was originally built by the Army Corps in 1914, with jetties completed in 1908 and 1938. The last major dredging — a 100,000-cubic-yard, $2.2 million project — happened in 2014 after 15 years of negotiations.
But the path forward is complicated. Before any major dredging can happen, a local sponsor needs to help fund a new Section 111 study to evaluate solutions. These studies examine shoreline erosion caused by federal navigation projects and propose fixes.
The last Section 111 study, done about a decade ago, cost around $1 million.
Elected officials have written letters to the state Department of Environmental Conservation requesting the study, but Southold Town Trustees president Glenn Goldsmith isn’t optimistic about quick federal action.
“What we can do as locals … is take small steps which hopefully in the long term will yield good results,” Mr. Goldsmith said. “I wouldn’t hold my breath for the federal government.”
State officials need to determine whether there’s funding left in the DEC’s Section 111 budget or if money would need to be allocated next year.
