Submitted photo from Rebecca Wurster An example of a wave attenuator is being considered for Dunkirk.

Chautauqua County officials recently proposed the addition of cast iron “wave attenuators” at the Dunkirk Pier to break up damaging waves that rip through the nearby marina.

Dave McCoy, the county’s watershed coordinator, and Rebecca Wurster from the Planning Department offered the plan at a meeting of the Dunkirk Common Council’s Economic Development Committee.

McCoy said the most damaging waves come from a northeasterly direction. When they come in that way, they ricochet off the pier and around the harbor, often harming both boats and docks.

The best solution to that, he continued, is the wave attenuators, which would be attached to the northeast end of the pier. They basically consist of a series of hollow cylinders stacked atop each other.

The devices would partially go into the federally recognized navigation channel, so that would have to be moved slightly. McCoy said it would necessitate “negotiating or taking or transfer of property, if you will.”

Wurster, who was formerly Dunkirk’s top planner, said, “There needs to be something done to have the economic impact that Dunkirk’s waterfront deserves.”

With plenty of infrastructure funding currently available from the state and federal governments, “it seems like an opportune time as well,” she added.

Wurster said there is an estimated cost of $1 million for the attenuators. A preliminary engineering study is needed as well, she added.

“You need to have a good picture of what you’re doing,” McCoy said. Both state and environmental reviews would also be necessary, he noted.

Construction isn’t starting anytime soon. Wurster said that the process of conducting environmental reviews and getting permits means the project might not get funded until 2023.