The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Buffalo District is planning important erosion protection measures for Old Fort Niagara as part of a project to stabilize a section of Lake Ontario’s shoreline.

With funding recently transferred from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the project’s non-federal sponsor, the district will begin a $760,000 design phase.

“I am proud to provide nearly $500,000 in federal funding from our bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act to make necessary repairs to old Fort Niagara, which was destroyed by flooding,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “This emergency shoreline protection project will preserve the beauty that makes Fort Niagara State Park so special and ensure this historic place can be enjoyed for many years to come. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient future for our communities on Lake Ontario.”

“This funding will help protect Old Fort Niagara from the effects of erosion and climate change that threaten the stability of shorelines along the Great Lakes,” said Congressman Timothy Kennedy (NY-26). “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can now begin planning to increase the resiliency of one of our region’s historic crown jewels and ensure that tourists, students and history buffs can continue to visit the fort as it was intended for years to come.”

“The Corps of Engineers is dedicating its best experts and resources to plan the permanent protection of old Fort Niagara,” said Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, commander of USACE’s Buffalo District. “We are proud to help ensure this historic treasure remains available to residents and visitors, while stabilizing another section of the Great Lakes shoreline.”

“As climate change continues to impact our Great Lakes, we are grateful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their expertise in helping us protect New York’s historic Old Fort Niagara, which includes the oldest buildings on the Great Lakes. Projects like this underscore the importance of working as a team to ensure we are all good stewards of important places,” said Mark V. Mistretta, Niagara Region Director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“We are grateful to the Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for their support of this important project. It has been nearly a century since preservation pioneers saved Old Fort Niagara from certain doom. It is deeply gratifying to see that preservation efforts continue into the 21st century,” said Robert Emerson, executive director of Old Fort Niagara.

Significant erosion along the Lake Ontario shoreline at Old Fort Niagara and Fort Niagara State Park in New York is threatening the wall surrounding the fort. Further erosion could threaten 18th and 19th century landmarks such as the French Castle and North Redoubt, all of which are part of the site listed on the New York State Register and the National Register of Historic Places. The most significant impacts currently are seen immediately east of the fort’s brick seawall and concrete-capped sheet pile base.

Planning for the “Old Fort Niagara Shoreline Protection Project” is currently underway and is expected to be completed in January 2025. A detailed design report from the Corps of Engineers will address civil-structural, environmental, geotechnical and other aspects and provide preliminary plans and specifications for the work. The current plan calls for rebuilding the shoreline with a 400-foot stone fortification extending eastward from the end of the fort’s wall along the eroding bluff, providing greater protection from future erosion by Lake Ontario.

Funding for the design phase is 65% federal and 35% non-federal, with $480,000 coming from USACE and $280,000 from NYSOPRHR. Costs for the project’s feasibility study, which was completed in 2021, were shared 50%.

The Shoreline Repair Project Partnership Agreement was signed in March of this year and approved under Section 14 of the Corps of Engineers’ Continuing Authorities Program for Emergency Response to Bank Erosion and Riverbank Repair.

Photos of the project site are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/albums/72157715219647686

The Buffalo District provides the Great Lakes Region, the Army and the Nation with world-class engineering solutions to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management and emergency response in times of peace and war.