Fresh Sand to Replenish Three Jersey Shore Beaches

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More than 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be restored in Long Branch, seen here, as well as Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach.
Photo by Philip Sean Curran

By Philip Sean Curran

Sand will be taken from the Atlantic Ocean to replenish beaches in Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and Long Branch starting in December to ensure the health of a critical piece of the state’s tourism industry.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) stood with state, federal and local officials Oct. 25 at the shore in Long Branch to discuss plans the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has for the three communities. Dredge ships in the Atlantic Ocean will pump sand and water onto the beaches, with the sand later spread by bulldozers. According to Pallone’s office, more than 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be restored.

Pallone said the Army Corps will have equipment and material in three staging sites in each of the communities. Work will begin in December in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, followed by Long Branch in February.

“We hope it’s all done by the summer season, by Memorial Day,” he said.

He said that in Monmouth Beach work will take place from the bathing pavilion near Valentine Street north to Cottage Road. In Sea Bright, it will go from the area of Island View Way north to Tradewinds Lane. Finally, the Long Branch portion will be from West End Beach south to Sycamore Avenue in the Elberon section of the city.

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long, who was not at the press conference, said Oct. 25 that the work is primarily focused on the southern part of her town.

“We have definitely seen some significant erosion over the last couple years with the storms,” she said.

Monmouth Beach Mayor Sue Howard did not respond to a request for comment.

Pallone said that on average, a beach needs to be replenished every six years, but the time length can vary. The Army Corps surveys beaches and prioritizes where work needs to be done, he said.

“This partnership with the federal government, the municipalities and the state has been an outstanding team for the last 25 years or more,” said Jason A. Shea, the project manager for the Army Corps.

The $37.4 million project will be paid for by a mix of federal, state, county and local funds, with the federal government contributing the most at $24.5 million. Pallone called it important that New Jersey have a stable source of money to contribute toward beach replenishment, otherwise the federal government would do work in other coastal parts of the country.

A state lawmaker from Monmouth County spoke during the press conference of the environmental benefits replenishing the beaches will have.

“It’s going to make a big difference,” Assemblywoman Joann Downey (D- 11) said. “But it’s just part of our wonderful plan for the environment, to continue to do better and make sure that we are continuing to make our environment safe for the future, for all of our children and for all of our residents.”

As for future work, Pallone said the federal government has found other sections of beach needing replenishment in the three towns. “But those are things that, if we can get additional money,…we’re going to try to do maybe next year or in the near future,” he said.

The Jersey Shore is a major piece of the state’s tourism industry and a money-maker for local towns.

Long Branch Mayor John Pallone, the brother of the congressman, said this past summer saw a record amount of beach revenue for his community. He said that on July 4 alone the town collected $110,000 in beach fees.

“So as we all know, beach replenishment is critical for shore protection to sustain our beaches and, of course, to continue the revenue,” the mayor said.

But Congressman Pallone stressed how investing in beach replenishment is “preventative to save the expense when the government has to come in and do these other things in the aftermath of a storm.”

This week marked the seven-year anniversary of Super Storm Sandy hitting the state Oct. 29, 2012. Monmouth was among the areas devastated by its impact. Following the storm, 21 miles of beach from Sea Bright to Manasquan Inlet were replenished from 2013 to 2015, according to the Army Corps.

“When you don’t have your boardwalk, when you’re not really whole like you should be, it creates a lot of problems,” Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling (D-11) said at the press conference. “And beach replenishment was a big part of the rejuvenation of what we did along the shoreline there.”

Yet since Sandy, Pallone said, some beach replenishment projects have not been completed, including in Port Monmouth. The upcoming beach projects in Long Branch, Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach are the first since Sandy that are not storm-related, he said.

This article was first published in the October 31 – November 6, 2019 – print edition of The Two River Times.