REPORT OF THE DIVISION ENGINEER

SYLLABUS

The division engineer finds that the general benefits to commerce or navigation ld not be sufficient to warrant a large expenditure by the Federal Government the whole or any considerable part of the improvement desired by local interand that the direct benefits which might be derived therefrom at the present would be small and almost entirely local in character. He therefore recomds that no improvement of the harbor, beyond that authorized by the existing gett, be undertaken by the United States at the present time.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF DIVISION ENGINEER,

NORTH ATLANTIC DIVISION,

New York, N. Y., May 1, 1934.

ject: Review of Reports on Mamaroneck Harbor, N. Y. The Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

AUTHORITY

1. This review of reports was authorized by the following resolution opted January 29, 1934:

Pecored by the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, ted States, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors created under tion 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, ested to review the reports on Mamaroneck Harbor, N. Y., submitted in House Dement No. 651, Sixty-sixth Congress, second session, with a view to determazing whether any modification of the existing project is advisable at the present

It is submitted by request of the Chief of Engineers, in his second endorsement, dated February 9, 1934.

REPORTS UNDER REVIEW

2. The reports reviewed are those which were submitted to Congress the Secretary of War January 28, 1920, and which were printed House Document No. 651, Sixty-sixth Congress, second session, aving become the basis for the existing project by inclusion in the River and Harbor Act approved September 22, 1922. They include e preliminary report dated April 28, 1916, and the survey report sted August 9, 1919, by the district engineer, on which the Chief of Engineers submitted a report dated January 26, 1920. The reports Tere favorable and led to the adoption of the existing project.

DESCRIPTION

3. Mamaroneck Harbor extends about a mile northeasterly from Long Island Sound, at a point about 27 miles by water from the Battery, New York City. From the broad bay at the entrance, and a connecting inlet, Y branches spread into broadening basins at the apper ends. A former island between the branches is now developed into Harbor Island Park. Commercial and industrial uses of the westerly basin are largely prohibited by a local zoning ordinance. An approach channel to this basin has been dredged in the west branch. for about 1,400 feet from the project channel. On the west side of

this channel two boatyards are located, which have been quite active Practically all strictly commercial facilities are on the East Basin near the head of the harbor, from which the main line of the Nev York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and the urban line of the Nev York, Westchester & Boston Railway are about one-half mile distan to the northwest. This is the nearest approach of any railroad line as there is no spur to the waterfront.

Dangerous rocks which formerly were in the channel have been re moved and the channel otherwise improved and straightened. Slight shoaling has occurred over several minor areas which can be removec by ordinary maintenance dredging. Present difficulty in navigation during the summer season is attributed to the mingling of freight and pleasure vessels in the same channel, and the congestion which compels the latter to moor in such close proximity to the improved channel as to be dangerous and troublesome to towed commercial craft, by swinging into or close to the edge of this channel.

The mean tidal range is 7.1 feet and the extreme range is about 8.5 feet. The immediate locality is shown on the accompanying map, district engineer's file no. 21137567, and a wider area on the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Chart 222.

EXISTING PROJECT

4. The existing project provides for an anchorage area near the head of navigation and for a channel of 100 feet bottom width from deep water in Long Island Sound to Orienta Point, and thence of 80 feet bottom width in a straightened channel following the lines of the previously adopted project, and with widened bends, to the upper end where it is extended easterly in an arm 300 feet long. The channel is 1/4 miles long, and the project depth is 10 feet at mean low water throughout. It was completed in 1933 at a cost of $107,922.36. The estimated cost of annual maintenance, made in 1919, was $1,000. The total cost to June 30, 1933, was $188,646.79 for new work and $41,056.09 for maintenance. Local cooperation has included furnishing required easements for rights-of-way and disposal areas and the construction of a public wharf.

use.

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

5. Under a permit dated December 5, 1931, local authorities dredged a channel 6 feet deep at mean low water, 80 feet wide, and about 1,400 feet long in the west branch. In the East Basin wharves have been constructed and adjacent areas dredged to facilitate their Harbor Island Park between the two basins is being developed by the village of Mamaroneck. Where the park abuts on the West Basin a seawall is under construction and its extension around the upper end of the basin is planned. Improvement of harbor areas by the removal of Grassy Knoll and the dredging of West Basin to 6 feet depth at mean low water were contemplated by the village authorities, who obtained Federal permits for both. Work has not been begun on either of these and the community now desires that the basin be dredged by the United States as reported herein.

TRIBUTARY AREA

Mamaroneck Harbor serves nearby residential and commercial Shess centers, by receipts at its wharves consisting mostly of buildmaterials and fuels. Having no direct rail connection, these comities are transported inland over the first-class highway system to h the water-front and village streets have ready access. The bined population of the communities thus served totals 55,077, with the outlying areas totals 102,560, using 1930 census figures. e village authorities state that the village of Mamaroneck has an 1 of 3 square miles, an assessed valuation of $38,000,000 and about .0 population.

COMMERCE-VESSEL TRAFFIC

7. The water-borne commerce of the harbor is carried principally barges and consists wholly of receipts, which comprise building erials, crushed stone, coal, sand, and gravel. These have deased progressively during the past 6 calendar years in volume and e: from 489,945 tons in 1928 to 68,856 tons in 1933, and from $76,794 in value in 1928 to $129,581 in 1933. Present prospects of increase in receipts are uncertain. Local interests desire the provement under consideration for pleasure craft only and for oring, anchorage, and other shelter. Navigation of the approach nel and other waters would be incidental. About 158 pleasure saveraging 30 feet in length and about 6 feet in draft are said tilize existing berths and anchorages. The following list indicates. types of vessels affiliated with local clubs or owned locally which e used these facilities during the 1933 season:

Some 20 other vessels anchored in the outer harbor to take advantage Teater space available there and avoid the danger of collision with amercial craft in the main channel.

IMPROVEMENT DESIRED

. Local interests expressed a desire only for the development of a asure-boat anchorage and connecting channel in the west basin 4 branch of the harbor to be dredged to 6.5 feet depth at mean * water, or if considered more desirable, an anchorage of the same apacity in the east basin. The present congested condition of the -attered boat anchorages, the resulting dangers to navigation of umercial vessels and the increasing numbers of pleasure vessels, king accommodation in the harbor are arguments advanced in or of having the improvement done by the United States. The

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resulting benefits to local business and the service rendered to boat owners in large contiguous areas are added arguments. Local cooperation is offered only in the designation of spoil disposal areas of insufficient capacity to accommodate a large part of the material to be excavated.

SPECIAL SUBJECTS

9. There are no considerations involving water power, flood protection, land reclamation, or other special subjects, affecting general public interests pertaining to this review of reports.

VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

10. The district engineer finds that the desired improvement would be of some indirect benefit to the commerce in freight vessels by relieving the present congestion of pleasure craft in some parts of Mamaroneck Harbor and thus reducing dangers to navigation in its channel and anchorage, but that its advocates desire it only for pleasure-boat purposes. On this account he finds that it comes within the purview of the amendment adopted by Congress February 10, 1932, to section 3 of the act governing the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, which authorized the inclusion, under the term "commerce", the use of a waterway by yachts, house boats, fishing boats, motor boats, and other similar craft, but did not alter other provisions of the act, under which the public necessity and propriety of the expenditures for any improvement are required to be determined.

The district engineer states the principles which, he believes, are applicable to similar cases and to which his conclusions conform, as follows:

(a) That no improvement should be undertaken under a Federal project unless it is manifest that the improvement is needed.

(b) That there shall be available to all users of the improved waterway or water area free and suitable access to the shore over publicly owned landings. (c) That the extent of Federal financial participation in the project should be determined by the relation between general benefit and local benefit.

In reference to the latter principle, he states, in effect, that benefits accrue to the general public in the actual use of a particular harbor only when widely spread, and that the degree of such benefit is dependent upon location, connecting waterways, nearby ports, and routes and density of travel. In the present case, the adjacent broad expanses of Long Island Sound, outside of the commercial ship lanes, are extensively used by yachts and pleasure craft and the numerous indentations and harbors along its shores offer shelter to such craft from the windstorms which are liable to sweep these expanses from any direction.

The district engineer finds that the present commercial outlook for the harbor does not appear to warrant its additional improvement as a commercial harbor, but that changes in local conditions indicate a continuance of the increase in its yachting activities which are shown by a pleasure-boat traffic practically 100 percent greater in 1933 than in 1932. He believes that these facts and conditions constitute justification for Federal aid under the amendment referred to above. He points to the fact that the nearest practical anchorages

Failable to transient pleasure craft, are 5 miles west and 8 miles. est of the harbor, at City Island and Port Chester, respectively, but t neither has large space available for such craft. He brings out that there are three classes of benefit, pertaining to sure boat havens and anchorages, which should be weighed in termining the justifiable extent of improvement to be undertaken. e of these is the benefit to owners of vessels, who would use the arbor as a base. The second is the benefit to owners of yachts in nsit, who make transient visits and may come from points quite stant from the harbor. The third benefit is purely local, embrac27 expenditures by boat owners to the local merchants and repair ops, and includes an incidental rise in real-estate values and revees. He states that the first two classes of benefits usually cannot definitely appraised, but apply to Mamaroneck Harbor sufficiently indicate some Federal interest in the desired improvement. The local benefits of the third class have been estimated by local rests, on the basis of the expected utilization of west basin, if roved, by 225 boats, to amount to $83,250 in increased annual siness, distributed locally, and to include an increase in the taxvalue of real estate of over $500,000. The district engineer conters the estimates of the number of boats and benefits to local siness to be too high, his estimate of local business' benefits being asiderably under $50,000, but is of the opinion that the probable gain coupled with the general benefits would justify improvement the estimated cost of $53,000. He draws attention to the stateents of local interests and authorities that their only contribution ward the improvement would be a spoil disposal area on village roperty and to the fact that they would be involved in no expense Sereby except the cost of bulkheading, if needed, although the assets f the village would be increased.

The plan of improvement submitted by the district engineer prodes for a channel 80 feet wide at the bottom and 1,900 feet long, nd a basin widening from the channel width to over 500 feet along e northerly end, and about 1,000 feet long, dredged to 6 feet depth mean low water, with allowance for overdepth and having side slopes of 1 on 3. The estimated cost is $53,000 for new work and $500 for annual maintenance, which would bring the estimated cost of annual maintenance for the entire harbor to $1,500.

The district engineer concludes that the existing project is comercially suitable and adequate, but that its revision so as to provide facilities for pleasure boats is justified, provided that local interests contribute to the cost in proportion to the local benefits. He is of the opinion that it would not be a sound Federal project unless such local participation in the cost were provided, even though not offered at this time and although subjecting it to such conditions will have the practical effect of delaying or preventing the carrying out of the project, even if adopted. He believes that competition exists between boat harbors on the north shore of Long Island Sound, which may result in the improvement of some other harbor, which will meet the requirements indicated in the previous discussion, if Mamaroneck Harbor fails to be improved; but, if this harbor should be improved, the need for pleasure boat facilities will be reduced and the improvement of the other harbors for like purposes deterred. The district engineer recommends that the project be modified to provide anchor