Figure 2-28. Sediment impoundment west of Goldsmith Inlet jetty (view looking north),
circa winter 2001
After the bathymetric survey of 6-8 October 2002 (discussed in Chapter 3), the
mouth of Goldsmith Inlet migrated to the east. In the winter months of 2003 and 2004, a
west-oriented spit accreted at the inlet mouth, redirecting the mouth slightly toward the
west. The presence of ice directly east of the inlet may have been partially responsible
for buildup of this west-oriented spit as well as the redirecting of the inlet mouth to the
west.
The Town of Southold requested that Suffolk County dredge the inlet. A permit for
dredging, and the creation of a 4-ft-deep, 40-ft-wide straight channel, was requested in
precluded any action after April 2004. The New York District denied the permit
application because of environmental concerns. A permit was issued to conduct smaller
scale emergency dredging, however, and during 22-26 March 2004, approximately
5,000 cu yd of sediment was removed from the mouth of Goldsmith Inlet to prevent inlet
closure. The material was placed on the adjacent downdrift beach.
Figure 2-29 shows the orientation of the Goldsmith Inlet entrance on 8 October 2002,
Figures 2-30 and 2-31 show the orientation on 28 March 2003 and 16 February 2004,
respectively. The orientation of the Goldsmith Inlet entrance on 6 April 2004, soon after
the emergency dredging of March 2004, is shown in Figure 2-32.
1
Personal communication, 27 January 2004, Mr. James A Richter, Office of the Engineer, Town of Southold.
42
Chapter 2 Study Area and Physical Setting
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