Stone Harbor Beaches Bolstered by Dredged Sand

STONE HARBOR — Avalon beaches have been replenished; now it’s Stone Harbor’s turn.
On Fri., June 3, the borough held a press event at the 101st Street Pavilion to explain the local, $5-million portion of the overall $8.6-million beach replenishment project to homeowners.
According to Mayor Suzanne Walters, some had called to complain over the Memorial Day Weekend about the project, but were more satisfied when they found the work would be quick and beneficial.
Three blocks at a time will be done, she said. When all the sand that’s about a mile or less offshore has been dredged from 123rd Street to 83rd Street, a total of 580,000 cubic yards will have been relocated for storm protection.
The Army Corps of Engineers work, officially termed a “storm damage reduction project, will take the beach profile to its November 2009 pre-storm level, since that is where the corps surveys indicated the sand loss.
Cost to borough taxpayers will be $121,000, or about 9 percent of the project’s cost, according to Keith Watson, corps’ project manager. He noted the funding for this project, which also benefited Avalon’s beaches, was from federal sources for flood control from an emergency fund.
Performing the work is Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. using the same dredge as Avalon used. It is a hydraulic dredge that pumps sand onto the beach. It arrives as liquid slurry.
Once the water drains away, front-end loaders and other heavy equipment place the sand where it will do the most good. That, according to borough officials, will cover visible stone jetties near the end of outfall pipes.
Those pipes, long a controversial point for some residents, will eventually be placed so as to redirect water into back bays.
Watson stressed that the project was “100 percent federally funded” and is deemed “repair work”
Original plans called for the project to extend to 80th Street, however, due to budgetary considerations, it will extend only to 83rd Street, said the mayor.
The mayor cited U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) stating why beach replenishment projects, like the ongoing one, are important. “Beaches are more then a place to get a sun tan. We have $4 billion in ratables to protect,” said Walters.
She looked behind her and noted the dune system that will eventually form from the project as being a first line of defense against the sea.
Bill Dixon, Department of Environmental Protection representative at the event, said the municipality had long been a “great partner” with the agency. It provides information and guidance, he added.
As the project continues, all other borough beaches will remain open. The work will continue around the clock, and will only stop if weather conditions or unexpected mechanical problems arise.
The beach and its adjacent dunes and fences that help stabilize the sand, will be part of the project, according to a borough spokesperson.
According to a Corps fact sheet, the 4.3-mile project included all Seven Mile Beach, 2.2 miles of seawall construction along Townsend’s Inlet frontage in Avalon and the Hereford Inlet frontage of North Wildwood and ecosystem restoration of about 116 acres of natural barrier island habitat at Stone Harbor’s Point.
The Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District manages the construction using civilian dredging firms to build the beach and dunes, and provide 65 percent of the funding needed for construction and beach nourishment.
The state provides about 35 percent of the funding. It is responsible for providing land, easements, rights of way and relocation for projects to go forward.
Realty Owners Association President Sandy Slabic asked Walters how property owners would know which beaches would be affected that day or week.
The mayor said the information is published on Channel 2, the local government information channel. But Slabic said that was not helpful to those living out of the area.
Walters promised that the borough would post the work information on its website, accessible to all with a computer, so that owners from distant areas would know how the work was progressing.
When the Seven Mile Beach project is finished, the dredge will move north to Atlantic City and continues to pump its sand on that city’s beaches.
Parts of this story were first published at capemaycountyherald.com
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com