Advocates for Keeping Fire Island Breach Open Start Petition Effort

Residents who want the federal government to keep the new breach at Fire Island's Old Inlet, which was formed by super storm Sandy last October, have initiated an online petition effort.

In a posting on Patch, the advocates penned an open letter stating the breach is not causing any environmental harm to the Great South Bay and that the inlet is not causing higher than normal bay tides and south shore flooding issues.

But there is absolutely no evidence linking the inlet to increased tidal ranges or flooding anywhere on the bay. Flooding has been occurring up and down the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine – it is a regional phenomenon, not a local one.

The advocates believe the cost of closing the breach, which they say could be between $6 million and $15 million, would be better spent protecting the communities that are most at risk.