Dune Plan for the Wildwoods

NORTH WILDWOOD – The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Coastal Engineering hosted a public hearing in North Wildwood’s City Hall Feb. 21. Project manager Chris Constantino led the presentation with Planning Division Chief Peter Blum.
In 1987, a New Jersey shore protection study was authorized and completed 14 years later in 2001. It was to determine the effects of the ever-changing coastal shores. As a result, every year the “shore protection fund” receives $25 million to protect existing development and infrastructure from storm surges, sea level rise and shoreline migration through dune creation and maintenance plus repair of shore protection structures.
Constantino presented a hurricane and storm damage reduction plan for North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Lower Township. He stated authorities considered the engineering, economic, social and environmental impacts as well as restrictions in place concerning bird migration, protected species that visit the Wildwoods as well as other restrictions from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Basically the project, which may be done in 2016, takes sand from Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, adding dunes for the Island and bringing sand north to North Wildwood beaches.
In North Wildwood they will restore lost dunes by Second and Third avenues and raise the city’s existing dunes approximately 2 feet plus raising the existing pass overs to their appropriate heights.
The Army Corps of Engineers will also install sand dunes all the way to the bottom of the island including Lower Township. Due to height restrictions and pier maintenance, there won’t be any dunes in front of nor under Morey’s piers. Where there are existing dunes they will be integrated and where necessary would be raised to at least 16 feet with 25 foot tops. These dunes would be higher than the Boardwalk. Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano and that city’s governing body were not happy about that fact.
Along with dunes, the Army Corps of Engineers will revise the sand berms enlarging the beach in the north and shortening the beaches toward the south. They will also try to eliminate ponding that occurs in Wildwood where soccer is played.
Shortening of the Wildwood beach it will open the outfall pipes that are constantly clogging, which results in much flooding in Wildwood. The council is also concerned with shortening of the ever expanding Wildwood beach because of all the events and activities conducted there throughout the year.
On the dunes, six new handicapped crossovers will be built as well as seven pedestrian crossovers and five new vehicle crossovers bringing the total crossovers to 77. These crossovers will be at an angle up the slopes of the dunes.
The corps will also install about 28,000 feet of sand fence. Three types of dune grass will be planted on the dunes spaced 18 inches apart.
North Wildwood has approved the plan, Wildwood Crest is hesitant and Wildwood may not approve as presented. The plan, would cost almost $22 million and over 50 years it will cost about $59 million.
In the future the corps will revisit the beaches every four years and replenish sand berms and dunes. Municipalities will pick up about 15 percent of the cost.
In-between the four-year cycle, maintenance, beach and dune replenishment would be municipal responsibility unless there is a major situation. They were not able to define “major situation”.
There were several people who had comments including Francis McArlaren from Wildwood Crest who asked “Why not pump the sand out of Hereford Inlet?”
The response was it could not be done because as the sand started filling in the inlet, shore protected birds and other endangered species have taken up residence, therefore not allowing them to do anything to Hereford inlet per the EPA.
McArlaren also said, the Wildwoods’ most critical problem is back bay flooding. The corps’ response was that this plan does not include the back bay plus they can’t justify putting anything in front of sea walls. However they will indicate the problem in their report about the public hearings.
Steve Tecco, a Wildwood Crest motel owner stated the dunes will cause problems for those with physical disabilities and would cause a burden to Wildwood Crest.
Wildwood Crest would like all the pass-overs to be close to the handicapped requirement of 12:1 instead of the pedestrian 7:1 ratios. Constantino said they will look into the additional costs which the Crest may have to pick up.
Richard Basara from Wildwood also brought up using the Hereford Inlet sand instead of causing problems for Wildwood and the Crest. Again Constantino stated that any opening of the channel would cause erosion of some of the habitat area that some endangered species are occupying.
Basara brought out how engineers are being restricted by other agencies.
Robert Patterson of Wildwood Crest echoed a concern of many of the businesses that a 16-foot dune would be a turnoff to some visitors. The response was that the project took tourists into consideration.
At the end, Constantino indicated they came up with a good solution, but it cannot solve all situations nor satisfy everyone. They will make compromises where they can.
For comments, Constantino can be reached at: Christopher.Constantino@dep.state.nj.us.
For the Herald’s previous coverage, go to:
– Army Corps of Engineers Releases Dune Plan: http://goo.gl/9OEUqj