Shinnecock Bay is connected to the Great Peconic Bay towards the north near Shinnecock Canal. On the west of Shinnecock Bay, it is connected to the Moriches Bay by the Quogue Canal. Shinnecock Bay is composed of 9,000 acres of aquatic habitats. Within Shinnecock Bay there are open water, salt marshes, dredged material and intertidal flats. Shinnecock canal connects the Great peconic bay and the Shinnecock Bay. The two bays are called the “Peconics.”
Shinnecock Canal was first used by Native Americans for canoeing. In 1652, there was an attempt from the town of South Hampton to create a passage way from the ocean to the bay. The canal was built in order to mitigate the negative effects of Later on, the settlers of Southampton decided to create a permanent canal or inlet for Shinnecock Bay due to the low level of salinity in the area, which harms the marine life inhabiting the bay. By 1826, the bay was experiencing a lower water level and lower salinity level which killed some marine life, and an engineer named Hutchison proposed a plan to create an inlet or canal which would connect Shinnecock Bay and Peconic Bay. Sadly, that plan also failed. The legislature also planned on connecting Shinnecock Bay to the ocean. Although the inlet was successful, waves sealed the new inlet. In 1652, there was an attempt from the town of South Hampton to create a passage way from the ocean to the bay. It failed and there was another attempt in 1884 and the canal that was built was finished in 1892.
Due to the inlets being opened during storms and closed off against waves, The Bay has an unstable connection with the ocean. There was no set water passage way connecting the ocean to the canal thus reducing the amount of salt water introduction to the bay. Freshwater introduction from runoff and groundwater greatly reduced the salinity, and thus harming the marine life inhabiting the bay. In 1895, legislature authorized the construction of an inlet to connect Shinnecock Bay with the ocean. However in 1901, it was discovered that the timbers of the tide gates and their platforms had been almost completely destroyed.
During prohibition (1917-1933), the bay was frequently used to transport liquor cargo. In 1938, Shinnecock Inlet was formed from the breach of the barrier beach. In 1938, a massive hurricane hit the area and the inlet connecting Shinnecock Bay with the Atlantic Ocean was opened. After the breach, it was stabilized with stone jetties from 1947 to 1954. In 1997, the water depth is about 10 feet, and geomorphically, the bay has not changed much since. Now, Shinnecock Bay flourishes with marine life and requires little maintenance due to the canal’s flushing action.
References
http://www.southamptontownny.gov/FTP/SEQRA/ShinnecockPDD/04-Section-03.pdf
http://www.lishore.org/photos/ShinHist/
http://www.southamptontownny.gov/FTP/SEQRA/ShinnecockPDD/04-Section-03.pdf