‘Great concern’: Jersey Shore leaders call for restoration of beach replenishment funding

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Federal budget cuts will cost some South Jersey beaches their sand nourishment programs for now. Jersey Shore leaders say the move targets a successful project that has added protection for coastal properties and contributed to drawing more tourist dollars to their towns.

The federal government typically funds Army Corps of Engineers projects, with help from local and state funds, to pump sand from beneath the ocean onto the beach to replace what is washed away by storms.

Avalon’s business manager Scott Wahl said the federal funding covered the majority of the costs of the project.

“A typical joint project between Avalon and Stone Harbor requires Avalon to contribute a million dollars for the project,” Wahl said, adding that one recent project totaled $28 million. “In recent years, the most expensive part of the beach project is not actually pumping sand, but to get all the equipment and manpower to your community to do the job.”

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said he’s concerned about the impact the federal cuts will have.

“The direct benefits include the recreational and tourism attractions well-maintained beaches provide. Such activities help produce federal tax revenues that far outweigh the cost of the program,” he said in a letter sent to Congressman Jeff Van Drew and U.S. Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, obtained by WHYY News.

Gillian added that the replenishment also helps prevent floods that could damage homes insured by the federal government.

“As coastal storms grow in both frequency and strength, shore protection is vital to Ocean City’s future. The federal, state and local partnership that has accomplished these projects must be maintained and funded,” he wrote. “Of even greater importance is the protection of billions of dollars in public and private property, virtually all of which carries federal flood insurance.”

North Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, a Democrat, said the appropriations bill moving forward in the House would cut this federal funding for the first time in nearly three decades.

“House Republicans are pulling the sand out from under us. Their partisan bill abandons coastal communities at a time when climate change is accelerating erosion and increasing the risk of devastating storms,” Pallone said in a statement. “These projects aren’t luxuries, they’re lifelines. Towns in my district depend on beach replenishment to protect homes, businesses, and local economies. I will fight these cuts every step of the way.”

Gillian urged lawmakers to visit Ocean City to see the benefits of beach replenishment for themselves.

“Where the ocean once cut our Boardwalk in half and flowed freely down our streets, the re-engineered beaches and dunes have protected lives and property — allowing most of our beachfront streets to remain dry even when Superstorm Sandy made landfall just 12 miles away,” he said. “I’d also encourage you to see a small stretch of our downtown beaches that remain vulnerable to erosion and in dire need of continued replenishment.”