For years the New Jersey Coastal Alliance – an affiliation of hundreds of concerned organizations and citizens – has advocated for smarter, safer and more sustainable approaches to beach protection and replenishment.

The Army Corps has pumped enough sand on New Jersey’s beaches to build a wall 10 feet thick and 300 feet high stretching from Cape May to Sandy Hook at a cost of $3 billion.

This has given us sinkholes that have killed people, sand cliffs as high as 15 feet, dangerous shore-break waves, severe undertow, increased rip currents and devastation of coastal fish and wildlife. Our beaches have never been worse.

The methods used by the Army Corps are designed to pile up sand as cheaply and quickly as possible. Their techniques lead to rapid erosion and multiple dangers and don’t even follow state law.

It has gotten so bad that the Harvey Cedars lifeguards produced a video cautioning beachgoers about their replenished beaches. The number of recent drownings here should serve as a stark warning.

Often the new sand disappears almost overnight. We see this in many sites, where replenished sand that once lasted seven years has decreased to five, then two to three.

Where will this end? A study by the Corps of so-called erosion “hot spots” now recommends sea walls and jetties/groins despite the fact that sea walls are very prone to failure, and the Corps actually removed our jetties not long ago.

Keep in mind that most of the damage from coastal storms comes from back bay and river flooding. Piling sand on an ocean beach does nothing to prevent that. This sand is designed to protect coastal mansions, many owned by corporations and out-of-state residents.

The high cost has led coastal municipalities to illegally gouge beachgoers. Parking rates run as high as $5 an hour in Monmouth Beach for a beach without lifeguards. Promised parking in Deal, exchanged for free sand, was later eliminated. In town after town we find similar problems.

Current challenges to federal funding mean that we can’t go on repeating the mistakes of the past. The current model of beach replenishment has proven expensive, unsafe, environmentally harmful and often ineffective. Despite our own long-standing recommendations, these projects continue to ignore state law and best practices.

We advocate for modern beach restoration techniques that:

– Mimic natural shorelines with gentle slopes and offshore sandbars;

– Prevent dangerous sand cliff scarping caused by steep, artificial profiles;

– Reduce hazardous waves and currents;

– Enhance habitat for marine and coastal wildlife;

– Extend the lifespan of replenished beaches, reducing long-term costs.

These techniques are used routinely around the world – and have even been tested with positive results right here in New Jersey. Yet these findings have not been utilized.

The people of New Jersey and the millions of visitors who enjoy our coast each year deserve beaches that are safer, resilient and environmentally sound. Let’s stop wasting money and start building smarter. The time is now.

Editor’s note: Ross Kushner is coordinator of the New jersey Coastal Alliance.