The Army Corps’ notion that 24 hours is a reasonable period to percolate water caught between the bulkhead and the dunes is simply not acceptable. The fetid water backup in the beach block in Ventnor after Sandy was due to lack of outflow pipes and resulted in tens of million of dollars of needless water damage.

Their lawsuit also provides the city of Margate a golden opportunity to get a second bite at the apple after squandering $322,000 and getting no concessions or considerations whatsoever. The city can now very inexpensively file an amicus curiae brief.

Both parties should once again demand a permanent fix to storm erosion of the beach. This fix is called a master jetty. Positioned at the end of Margate or Longport, it would create a superwide beach of several thousand feet just like the Absecon Inlet jetty at the end of Brigantine. This expansive beach is actually one huge underground dune system that wave action must dissipate before ever reaching the bulkheads. The master jetty forever totally eliminates the need for unsightly and unsanitary dunes that must be routinely replaced at enormous cost.

John Sewell

Margate