SEA BRIGHT – The Jersey Shore water quality is excellent and the beaches are in great shape.
That was the message at the 13th annual State of the Shore report held May 21 at McLoone’s Asbury Grille. Organized by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, a collaboration of environmental managers and coastal scientists convened to discuss the condition of New Jersey’s shoreline.
In its 127-mile entirety, the Jersey Shore is in good condition following the destruction of Superstorm Sandy. The NJDEP, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has completed eight major, federally funded repair projects worth $345 million.
Three new projects are currently underway. Commissioner Martin announced that $38 million has been allocated for continued beach replenishment in Monmouth County, alone. The goal is simple. By replenishing the coast with more sand, the beaches begin to widen, creating a buffer zone that protects coastal residences and businesses from flooding and other disasters.
However, an area in the northern section of Sea Bright’s beaches is continually eroding. A portion of the beach on Sea Bright’s north end, just before Sandy Hook, has lost more than half of its sand while other beaches in the coastal borough are wider than ever.
“This is not what I expected,” said Nick Robinson, 21, who was visiting Sea Bright from Wisconsin to celebrate Memorial Day. “There’s no beach. When you think Jersey Shore, you think beaches. There’s barely anything here.”
Despite the million dollar replenishment efforts, curious erosion is bringing the beach alarmingly closer and closer to the seawall.
“Once the wall is exposed on a regular basis, the erosion will increase. You’ll end up with a massive erosional divot in the shoreline,” said Dr. Jon Miller, a coastal processes specialist and research assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology.
The short-term plan of action has been to constantly replenish Sea Bright with sand and prevent the ocean from reaching the seawall. However, Dr. Miller believes the erosion and monetary effects of a redundant short term solution can be prevented by studying the history of Sea Bright’s coast.
“There is a natural tendency for erosion in that area,” said Miller. “If you look at the historical maps from the 17 and 1800s, the river used to break through in the section where Sea Bright is having the issue. Intermittently, Sandy Hook used to be an island. People don’t realize that because it’s been stabilized.”
Miller plans to take a group of students from Stevens Institute of Technology this summer to study the mysterious erosion in Sea Bright.
“We know it has to do with the old inlet that used to be there,” said Miller. “We are going to do some work to pin down more acutely what the factors are. If we can understand better why that inlet wants to be there, then we can do something to address it.”
