Waterfront development officials will spend $290,000 to determine if sand can withstand the turbulent Lake Erie waters at Gallagher Beach.
The Buffalo News reports the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and the NFTA hope the study results will be available by next spring.
Gallagher Beach, a small strip of the Outer Harbor, which sits just south of the Small Boat Harbor, represents one of the few open waterfront strips with the potential for public swimming.
Officials plan to dump sand at two beach spots in September and will review how the sand holds through Buffalo's winter months.