Odds Against Ocean County Beach Replenishment By Summer 2014

by Douglas Bergen

A replenishment project for the Ocean County beaches between Manasquan Inlet and Barnegat Inlet is part of a massive plan to protect all New Jersey beaches from future storms, but the work is not likely to be complete by summer 2014, an Army Corps of Engineers official said on Monday.

There is a better chance that work at least could be started by then, said Jeff Gebert, chief of coastal planning for the Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District.

Gebert was a featured speaker at the annual Major Coastal Conference sponsored by the Northeast Shore and Beach Preservation Association (NSBPA) and hosted by the Coastal Research Center of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. The three-day conference (Sept. 9 to 11) features speakers on a variety of coastal-related disciplines with many sessions related to the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

After a session on Army Corps of Engineers projects in the Philadelphia District (from Manasquan Inlet through Delaware), Gebert said that Ocean County is one of three "authorized but unconstructed" projects in the region. 

Before work can begin, the Army Corps must complete a "Limited Re-evaluation Report," a cost-benefit analysis that then must be reviewed at various levels in the federal government hierarchy, Gebert said. 

Only then can implementation and bidding begin — a process subject to competing demands for limited dredging equipment and contractors. Gebert said he does not anticipate that the entire sequence and the ensuing work will be complete before the next beach season in Ocean County.

Superstorm Sandy breached the barrier island at Mantoloking, and the 15-mile stretch of beaches including Point Pleasant, Lavellette and Seaside Heights saw some of the worst damage of the record storm that made landfall in October 2012.
Empowered by the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act and funded with part of the more than $50 billion in approved Sandy disaster relief, the Army Corps is committed to a comprehensive plan to rebuild and maintain all New Jersey beaches and dune systems over time. The planned work throughout the region will cost billions of dollars.

The other major "authorized by unconstructed" projects include Ocean City to Sea Isle City in Cape May County and Oakwood Beach on Staten Island.

Partially complete projects include Long Beach Island (where noncontiguous beaches have been replenished) and Atlantic City (where Atlantic City and Ventnor are in renourishment phases and Margate and Longport have not been replenished).

The district also includes 10 completed projects (in renourishment phases) and one in the final feasibility phase. Sea Bright to Manasquan Inlet in Monmouth County will be next — with four contracts awarded or opening bids.

The Army Corps has a green light to do immediate additional work at any of the "completed projects" but must follow an approval process for the "authorized but unconstructed" projects.

"That's one of the ironies of Sandy," Gebert said. "Although they've been authorized, we can't take any direct action."