NJ Beach replenishment project approved
Monday, October 5th, 2009
By: Susan Phillips
sphillips@whyy.org
Beaches in South Jersey will be getting more sand. Congress approved about $11 million dollars for beach replenishment this week. And President Obama is expected to sign it.
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Fighting beach erosion at the Jersey Shore is an ongoing battle. And officials were disappointed not to get stimulus funds. But they are getting millions in federal earmarks.
Jim Rutala is the Administrator of Ocean City, which will get $6 million dollars in federal funds to pump sand along a more than two mile stretch of beach.
Rutala: In order to protect the northern end of the island you really need a significant barrier. And we've tried other things, we've used jetties, we've used geotubes to protect the beach. But the best way to maintain protection in coastal areas still is beach replenishment.
Rutala says the last major beach project happened 8 years ago.
Environmentalists are critical of the beach replenishment projects. A spokesman for New Jersey Sierra Club says its a waste of money because the sand will soon be washed away. And the process of pumping the sand destroys ecosystems.