CLAYTON, N.Y. (WWTI) – New York State has announced the completion of on a series of flood resiliency projects in the Village of Clayton.

The five completed projects were awarded more than $8.6 million in grant funding through the State’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative. The completed REDI-funded projects will help mitigate the impact of future extreme weather events, improve resiliency of the shoreline, ensure recreational boaters have continued access to the village docks, and protect popular destinations like the Riverwalk.

The village of Clayton sincerely appreciates the funding and partnerships made to come to this great conclusion of the REDI projects.  Our Mary Street Dock, wave attenuator, and dock at Memorial Park, as well as the upgrades to our WWTP have increased our ability to provide the necessary infrastructure for economic development and increase our ability to accommodate the many boaters that enjoy the opportunities offered at our local restaurants, events, shopping visiting family and friends and a gathering place for our citizens to enjoy the beautiful sunsets. Gratitude to all that have been a part of these projects and we look forward to continuing our relationships

Nora Zimmer, Mayor of Clayton

In 2019, the St. Lawrence River reached record high water levels that resulted in devastating floods throughout communities along the river’s shoreline. These events caused degradation of public infrastructure and restricted public use of popular tourist destinations like the Riverwalk, negatively impacting public safety and local economies.

Today’s announcement includes:

• The Riverwalk, $2,554,000, award: The Riverwalk, located along the St. Lawrence River, has become a popular destination for visitors and residents, connecting the various attractions and local businesses of the downtown shopping district. In 2019, high river levels and extreme wave action resulted in flood damage to sections of the Riverwalk. This project will help mitigate the impacts of future high-water events through the installation of an elevated boardwalk above the existing structure.

• Crib Dock at Mary Street Boat Launch, $2,489,000 award: There are two village owned docks at Mary Street. The Main Dock at Mary Street provides essential docking space to visitors and residents. The dock is popular with tourists and allows visitors to access the local shops, museums, and restaurants in the community. The smaller Mary Street Boat Launch Dock assists boaters in launching their recreational vessels at the boat ramp. Due to flood events, both structures suffered significant damage, negatively affecting the stability of the docks and hindering accessibility to recreational boaters. Resiliency efforts in this project included replacing the Boat Launch Dock with a new floating dock and reconstructing the Main Dock at a higher elevation.

• Village of Clayton Wastewater Collection and Treatment Plant, $2,370,000 award: The flooding of the St. Lawrence River in 2019 negatively impacted the Village of Clayton Wastewater Collection System and Treatment Plant as well as the Riverside Drive, leaving portions of the infrastructure below water, limiting pumping capabilities, and causing interruption of the chlorine disinfection process. This project sought to address the damage sustained during high water events as well as eliminate overflows to the St. Lawrence River, and potential health hazards. Mitigation measures for this project included converting the existing chlorine contact to an intermediate effluent lift station and expanding the filtration/disinfection building to include larger cloth media disk filters and UV disinfection systems to treat peak flows and provide redundancy at the plant. The Riverside Drive Pump Station dry well was converted to a wet well, and new larger dry pit submersible pumps were installed, increasing the pumping capabilities to the treatment plant and eliminating overflows to the river.
• Village Docks by Veterans Monument, $975,000: The Village Dock and the Veterans Memorial Monument are popular with visitors and tourists as it allows direct access to the Riverwalk and local businesses. The dock was installed in 1996 and consisted of a wooden floating dock and anchoring system. High water and corresponding wave action threatened the future functionality of the Village Dock along the Riverwalk near the Veterans Memorial Monument. This project consisted of replacing the existing floating wave attenuator, providing protection to the dock from future extreme wave action. 
• Frink Park Regional Dock, $250,000: The Thousand Islands Regional Dock, located along the shoreline adjacent to Frink Park in downtown Clayton, is a crucial access point to the community as a U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard-certified 105c Port of Entry. The dock can host tall ships, yachts, tugboats, and cruise ships. It is vital that this dock remain open and accessible. Flood damage included washout of the landing pavers. Mitigation measures for this project included sealing gaps between the existing sheet pile wall and river bottom to protect the bulkhead wall and prevent future erosion of fill from behind the wall.

Since the creation of the State’s REDI program in the Spring of 2019, 134 REDI funded local and regional projects are underway, including 28 projects in the design phase, 25 projects in the construction phase, and 81 projects completed.