A massive project on Monroe County's west side is now complete. 

Scott Copey, the director for development for the town of Greece, has been listening to the people living against Braddock Bay for years about what they believe needs to change.

"Their concerns were that their homes were being damaged from the high water. And the streets were flooded," Copey said.

Flooding and waves were eroding away the wetland ecosystem in the bay, so to help both the wildlife and the nearby neighborhood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency built a barrier out in the middle of the water.

Dr. Rachel Schultz, associate professor of wetland science at SUNY Brockport, added her knowledge to help them build the barrier.

"What this project has been able to do is to be able to take a pretty degraded wetland system that was literally eroding at the edges - chunks of wetland were dropping off - and has stopped the erosion of the wetland but also has been able to improve the plant diversity as well as the animal diversity," Schultz said. 

The bay project also included restoring the marina, creating better access to the water and attracting people to the area. Copey says this has been great for the town.

“Four years ago there were 26 slips rented. This year there’s 250. So from 2016, we increased slip rentals over 1,000 percent," Copey said. 

He suspects the coronavirus shutdown also brought more people out this summer.

"Lots of people are buying boats this year right," he said. "Everyone's been buying campers and boats because they want to be out and about. Our waterfront restaurants have definitely benefited from the activity that's been occurring here at the marina.”

The ecosystem project is one part of a bigger project to improve the bay, which is still in progress.