AVALON – With a series of storms eroding sand from borough beaches and an impasse in Washington that constrains the ability of county representatives from securing federal replenishment funds, the borough is looking to two possible options to get sand moved to eroded portions of beach at the north end.
Business Administrator Scott Wahl reported to Borough Council on Oct. 22 that Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2) was attempting to gain federal funds for a beach replenishment project by the Army Corps of Engineers by having the corps use storm recovery funds rather than wait for congressional appropriations. The more usual attempts to gain funds through attachments to appropriation bills are not as open a possibility while the government’s focus is on the shutdown.
Van Drew’s attempt at a different option involves combining the impact on the beaches from both hurricane Erin in August and the Columbus Day storm. An Army Corps visit was being scheduled so Corps officials could see the extent of the problem in terms of erosion of protective berm and dunes. The funding, if obtained, would be for a number of county beaches, including Strathmere, which Wahl said was the most impacted by erosion.
Wahl said the borough’s needs were receiving attention from the state’s Washington representatives and mentioned a call the borough received just prior to the council meeting from Sen. Andy Kim.
The southern end of Ocean City, Strathmere, Avalon and Stone Harbor were all due to receive a 2026 federal hydraulic replenishment when federal funding was undercut by the nature of the March 2025 continuing budget resolution that removed earmark monies.
Wahl said he felt Van Drew’s approach may eventually win out and gain funding, but it was not clear if that would occur in time for the 2026 scheduled replenishments.
Knowing that Avalon’s north end beaches needed sand prior to the 2026 summer season, Wahl said the borough was moving ahead with its planning for a back-passing project that would move existing sand on beaches at streets in the 30s to the north end.
Borough officials had hoped to avoid the cost of a back-passing effort this year given the expected federal replenishment. Wahl called the plan a “backstop for the hydraulic beach replenishment.”
He said it was unclear how much sand could be recovered from the mid-borough beaches and how that sand would need to be distributed. He pointed out that erosion in the north end was more extensive than in the past, when back-passing projects were employed. He added that there has also been sand loss in the dunes.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
