Insane, but in a good way. The Army Corps of Engineers are once again re-scheduling the expensive band-aid called ‘dune building’ along the beaches of Ventnor, Margate & Longport for Summer 2017.
Beachfill and dune construction along Downbeach will likely be delayed til after Labor Day….and maybe longer?
Equipment needed for our Absecon Island dune project is still too busy with other dredging work in Florida and North Jersey.
Another issue popped up that also played a role in this re-schedule. It’s the need for “revetment”, aka rock installation in Longport.
“Revetment” is a process of installing massive jetty rocks and other structures to protect against storms and the crashing waves they produce.
Revetments are a relatively low-cost solution for coastal erosion defense in areas like Longport, where crashing waves could deplete the coastline. Revetments disrupt the force of water.
Longport, and other coastal communities are well-known for building multi-million dollar homes on ocean fronts that often gets pounded by mother nature. No surprise there.
Comparing Downbeach to Wildwood.
Is the State of NJ just looking for ways of spending money on band-aid solutions like beach re-nourishment & dune building? Relatively few dollars are used for where the real problem lies…back back surge & flooding.
When we learned of how the State was even forcing Wildwood to take on dunes & beach work, we became more convinced that South Jersey dune building is often a wasteful use of taxpayers dollars.
Wildwood is known for it’s mile wide beaches.
From 1986 to 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers says Wildwood beaches grew at a rate of 24 feet per year. The Corps admits that most of this growth came from sand that drifted down from re-nourishment & dune projects in North Wildwood and presumably, towns further north.
Dune building along the South Jersey shore is an expensive game of coastal wack-a-mole.
Beaches in Wildwood Crest have been gradually growing at an average rate of 26 feet per year.
Social Media Feedback: Should we just allow mother nature to run its course? Maybe the only realistic solution is to stop allowing development so close to the waterfront. Build at your own risk if you want a mega mansion in a coastal danger zone. Flood insurance considerations at play here. Over time, NJ shouldn’t allow rebuilding in flooding no go zones”.