Jones Inlet
File:New York - Jones Inlet - NARA - 68145533 (cropped).jpg
Jones Inlet is located at the westernmost end of the {{convert|17|mi|km|adj=on}} long Jones Beach barrier island that runs along Long Island's south shore. The inlet separates Jones Beach State Park's West End from the community of Point Lookout and connects South Oyster Bay with the Atlantic Ocean.{{cite map |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Chart 12352 |url=http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12352a.shtml |date=December 1, 2007 |scale=1 : 20,000 |accessdate=2010-04-18 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317094622/http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12352a.shtml |archivedate=March 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }} In 2006, the inlet handled approximately 10,000 tons of commercial tonnage.{{cite web|url=http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/project/newyork/factsh/pdf/JoInOM.pdf |format=PDF |title=Jones Inlet, NY |work=United States Army Corps of Engineers |accessdate=2010-03-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621020706/http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/project/newyork/factsh/pdf/JoInOM.pdf |archivedate=2009-06-21 }}
Shifting sand bars and shallow waters have made the inlet treacherous for boaters to navigate, which prompted New York State to allocate $7.6 million of funding for the United States Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the inlet in 2008. In addition to improving navigational safety for vessels, the sand dredged from the inlet was pumped onto the Point Lookout shoreline to help mitigate the effects of beach erosion. The inlet was previously dredged in 1995-1996.{{cite news|title=Looking out for Jones Inlet |first=Richard |last=Weir |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2007/07/10/2007-07-10_looking_out_for_jones_inlet.html |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=July 10, 2007 |accessdate=2010-04-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723163209/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2007/07/10/2007-07-10_looking_out_for_jones_inlet.html |archivedate=July 23, 2010 }}{{cite news |title=Corps Dredging Jones Inlet in Nassau County |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-176128276.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025072822/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-176128276.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |work=Constructioneer |date=March 3, 2008 |accessdate=2010-04-18}} It was also dredged in 2014 and 2022.
The United States Coast Guard Station Jones Beach is located near the east side of the inlet on Jones Beach Island.{{cite web|url=http://www.uscgnewyork.com/go/doc/802/457163/ |title=Welcome to Station Jones Beach |work=United States Coast Guard |accessdate=2010-04-18 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}