In Avalon, How Does the Beach Grow?

AVALON – Dr. Stewart Farrell of Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center has been studying Avalon’s beaches since 1981. That is when the first instance of a continuous monitoring program began. 
On April 12, Farrell briefed Avalon Borough Council concerning his annual report on the condition of the beaches.
The length of the monitoring program allows Farrell and his team to separate natural processes in beach creation and erosion from the effects of beach engineering efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers. Understanding those processes can provide insight into future shore protection policy.
Farrell noted that his annual report took in the period up to but not including the current Army Corps’ sand-pumping process. This year that project will provide the borough with its largest replenishment effort.
Farrell recounted the recent problems when “lawyers in Washington decided that federal funds could not be used to borrow sand” from areas zones governed by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA).
This action barred federal funding of replenishment from Hereford Inlet; the traditional borrow area for Stone Harbor.
It also placed a heavier burden on Townsend’s Inlet, which had to supply sand for the northern sector of Stone Harbor as well as Avalon.
According to Farrell, the sand is available. Natural wave and wind patterns continue to deposit sand from Sea Isle City and northern beaches into Townsend’s Inlet. Large replenishment projects in Strathmere and Ocean City end up feeding more sand into the borrow zones in Townsends Inlet as natural processes move sand south, he said.
The sand being deposited in the inlet does not naturally make its way around jetty barriers to Avalon’s northern-end beaches.
While northern end beaches suffer from very quick erosion even after replenishment efforts, areas in the middle of the borough see natural accretions of sand, Farrell said.
The area around the 35th Street beaches collects sand moving south. It was used in 2016 for a back-passing to the again-depleted northern beaches while the borough waited for the Army Corps process scheduled for fall 2016.
Back-passing is a process where sand is removed from a permitted area using trucks that move sand to northern areas in need.
Bulldozers are then used to create the desired shore profile.
As Farrell noted, this process bypasses the greatest area of expense in sand pumping projects, that being dredge mobilization.
While not a substitute for traditional large-scale pumping projects, back-passing can be an effective tool helping to increase the time between pumping efforts.
Negative Impact
The borough heard from one resident in the area of the 35th Street beach who pointed to the negative impact sand borrowing had for homeowners in the area who “lost most of our beach” for the summer season.
The depressions caused by the sand borrowing created a natural gully that collected water as waves splashed over the brim.
Farrell was able to show that the beach area at 35th Street recovered all of its sand and more by December 2016.
He explained how quickly the natural accretion replaces the borrowed sand.
The borough is also concerned to minimize the disruption to residents of the area who want access to their beaches in the summer.
Council President Nancy Hudanich asked Farrell to work with the borough engineer to find a remedy for the pond formations in areas where back passing requires borrowing significant amounts of sand.
The borough’s 2016 attempt at back-passing followed damage to northern beaches caused by Winter Storm Jonas.
The borough moved 54,000 cubic yards of sand from mid-island to the north end.
Farrell’s discussion favored using a sand back-passing program to assist in the long-term management of the shoreline.
He also spoke of reconfiguring the Townsend’s Inlet borrow zone by moving it closer to the Avalon shoreline to encourage sand moving into the Inlet from Sea Isle City.
The expectation is that this configuration forced the main ebb channel to deposit sand more directly in front of Eighth to 12th street beaches.
Farrell noted that homeowners in the area had resisted having the borrow area closer to the Avalon shoreline because of the noise levels during replenishment projects.