The New Jersey coast, which was battered in some places and destroyed in others by Hurricane Sandy, is undergoing a beach replenishment via federal hurricane relief funding.

 

The project had started earlier this year, and then was halted by the federal government shutdown. It is continuing now in the Long Branch area, which is going to receive $40 million in funding to rebuild their decimated beach (www.app.com). The work began last week and is part of a $102 million beach replenishment project which covers the area of the New Jersey coastline from Sea Bright to Manasquan Inlet.

 

The project will bring 3.3 million cubic yards of sand to the Long Branch beach areas alone. The scale of this project is, by far, the most ambitious yet in New Jersey (www.app.com). The question becomes whether or not it makes sense to continue to pursue this course when the storms continually pull the sand back into the ocean.

 

The proponents of the beach replenishment plan feel that it is vital to the economic recovery of the New Jersey Shore area to have larger beaches to accommodate tourists and visitors.

 

Some other groups in the general public believe that this project will provide additional protection to the beaches and the surrounding coastal town neighborhoods. The addition of that much sand calls for not only the beaches to be built back again, but the dunes system in many of these coastal areas as well.  The dunes will potentially hold back the tidal waves during a high wind and coastal storm event.

 

The other side

 

The other side of this situation is the view of the environmental and other community groups who believe that the beach should be repaired naturally and not with the involvement of engineered sand and sediment being dropped into place in huge quantities.

 

The sand is also dredged from the continental shelf, which causes the disruption of the ecosystem there as well as the underwater plant life in that area. The sediment caused by the addition of large amounts of new sand has an impact on the fish, birds, and other wildlife on the coast.

 

The beach replenishment projects have been growing steadily over the years, and this latest project is massive because of the extreme amount of damage caused by the mammoth Hurricane Sandy last year. The grain size of the sand in these projects is also problematic because it is usually larger than the grain size of the sand currently on the existing beaches. This causes the beaches to be muddy and changes the way the waves break on the shore especially during tidal periods. I have experienced it myself walking on the beach after the new sand has been installed, the sand is muddy and different in appearance.

 

These same groups will point to the fact that the same coastal areas were the beneficiaries of a beach replenishment project in the months leading up to the summer of 2012, and then Sandy and the Nor’easter storm which hit right after Election Day,  wiped out all of the sand from the last nourishment project.

 

Perspective

 

I understand both sides of this complex issue, the fortification of the beaches is needed to build the dunes, provide protection for the infrastructure of coastal communities, and provide support to the tourism industry. I am also a long time resident of the New Jersey Shore area, so I am very familiar with this situation.

 

Conversely, the beaches are being artificially engineered by man and machine to bring tons of new sand into a specific area with potential consequences to the environment and the natural habitats of fish, birds, and other wildlife. Then, every two years, the government looks at replenishing the beaches because the sand is being pulled away by the ocean during coastal storms.

 

The reduction of sand in the Continental Shelf has to have some effect on the ecosystem there as well. I am not sure if it is rational to keep restoring a coastline against the will of nature. I understand that the dunes are a source of protection but I think it is not a good situation to keep artificially enhancing them.

 

Then there is the sediment build up and the effect it has on the waves, especially during the peak tide cycles, and the role that the sediment has on fish and other wildlife. I am also concerned about the effect this enhancement of the beach can have on erosion. Some reports I read indicate that the expansion of the coastline through beach replenishment can actually accelerate erosion.

 

I think that the potential risks to the environment are too great and too costly for this type of beach nourishment to be effective. I also do not like the impact it can have on the ecosystem and the marine and bird life.

 

An argument can also be made for the cost of the beach replenishment process and using that money to make other infrastructure improvements. This could include building up the jetties which allows for a more natural tidal flow and can have less impact on the fish and wildlife. The money could also be used to make improvements to roads and bridges which were damaged during Sandy.

 

In the meantime, the project will continue with this phase in Long Branch and then will continue to work its way to the north to Monmouth Beach. The debate on whether this enhancement of the beach is good for the protection of coastal communities, or bad because of the environmental implications will continue on in the weeks and months ahead as well. The residents of New Jersey have to decide how they want the government to address this complex issue both in the present situation and in the future.

 

The stakes are high, and it is a problem which is not going away any time soon.