YORK COUNTY, Va. — The York River shoreline stabilization project is complete!
On Wednesday the National Park Service celebrated the achievement at Colonial National Historical Park. The park hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony highlighting the finished progress.
The $21 million project was funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund and Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). The money was used to repair and stabilize three miles of the York River shoreline.
Watch: Elizabeth River Project highlighted for cleaning and restoring local waterways
The National Park Service launched the project due to severe erosion impacting the shoreline. Officials say the erosion was brought on by the rising sea level, increased storms, and tidal event frequency and intensity created by climate change.
GAOA’s Legacy Restoration Fund provides the National Park Service with up to $1.3 billion per year for five years. The money is allotted to the park service so it can make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation. The fund also provides opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.
Colonial National Historical Park was established in 1930 to preserve 17th and 18th century sites that tell the story of English colonization and the struggle for American independence. In Yorktown, Virginia, colonists fought in the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The 23-mile Colonial Parkway links the sites and is recognized as an “All-American road.”
