SEA BRIGHT – A Sea Bright beach club is looking to sand scrape its beachfront to protect its facilities in winter storms.
But the borough council, and some residents, oppose the plan. They argue it will negatively impact neighboring beaches.
The applicant, Edgewater Beach and Cabana Club, is seeking a Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to start the berming process, among other work.
The application arrives at the same time the borough is receiving sand from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Beaches will be replenished in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach in December and in Long Branch in February. It’s one of the reasons some residents have taken issue with Edgewater’s plan to sand scrape.
“They are engineering this sand replenishment based on our current profile. This berming actually changes that profile. So, it basically negates everything that the Army Corps of Engineers has engineered it to do,” said Councilman Kevin Birdsall.
The Two River Times made multiple attempts to reach Edgewater representatives for comment, but did not receive any responses to phone messages, emails or messages sent through social media.
Sand berms are created by bulldozing sand from the shoreline and pushing it up into linear piles. That process creates divots at the shoreline, which then pulls in sand from neighboring beaches, Birdsall said. “Inevitably, what they’re doing is they’re stealing sand from the other beaches,” he said, adding that everything dissipates by the end of the summer season.
Thomas Herrington, associate director of the Urban Coastal Institute at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, said the berming process “destabilizes” the beach that already has a “natural equilibrium” with the wave energy along the coast. In taking sand from the lower part of the beach to the upper end, “you actually remove the sand from the natural system that’s providing use of storm protection,” he said. “So, now what happens is when a storm comes along it takes much less time to erode the beach up to where these berms are.”
He advised that sand berms not be built at all. But if they are built, that they only move minor amounts of sand. Natural, well-vegetated dunes are more beneficial, he said. “These dunes provide that last line of defense during coastal storms. If they’re well-vegetated, they are much more stable and less susceptible to erosion than just the berms,” he said. “We understand the communities have done this, particularly in Monmouth County, for years and there’s this perception that doing this provides a level of protection that they don’t have. But if we had a more natural beach in Monmouth County, you should get the protection you need during these winter storms.”
Aside from sand berming, Edgewater is applying to construct “temporary seasonal structures including, but not limited to, a tiki bar, wooden walkways, fencing, storage building, and up to 33 cabanas with hookups; and the construction of an observation deck on the existing seawall,” the application states.
Sea Bright Borough does not have jurisdiction over its beaches, the state does. But in emergency situations, like before big storms, the borough can berm, said Mayor Dina Long. She also reflected on a council workshop meeting when the council discussed Edgewater’s application. “I don’t want to speak on behalf of the governing body, but there was consensus that there’s opposition to this action because of the impact that it has on the adjacent beaches,” she said Nov. 18.
Last year, three beach clubs received violation notices from the NJDEP for berming without permits – Chapel, Driftwood and Edgewater, the borough confirmed. A resident at the Nov. 18 council meeting even claimed that one club created a berm “close to 50 feet high.”
“I guess the expectation from myself and the folks in the room is that the town council is going to take a very hard position in opposition to this to protect that beach,” resident Erwin Bieber said of Tradewinds beach, the public beach near Bieber’s home, which lies adjacent to Edgewater.
Mayor Long responded and said there is a comment period for the CAFRA permit. She said the council will take “strong opposition” against the permit during that time.
Joe Savino, who lives near Edgewater, attended a recent borough council meeting to express his concern. He said he had “great concerns” about the berming and found the process to be “frightening” and “shocking.”
“I just can’t imagine that this can be done without the big picture of the entire beach taken into consideration. They own beachfront property – as do some of us – so I do ask the council to take a very serious look at this,” Savino said.
