Sand Builds, Clogs Pipes in Cape May, Geotubes’ Surprise for Longevity

CAPE MAY – On the beach. That’s where County Engineer Dale Foster’s thoughts were July 22 as he reported a pending project here to freeholders. A larger beach in the vicinity of Pittsburgh Avenue, due to renourishment of the Coast Guard beach to the north, resulted in some unexpected consequences: flooding of Beach Avenue in May.
That flooding was caused by sand-covered outfall pipes, five feet of sand, according to Foster. Wildwood has similar flooding problems, due to sand clogging its outfall pipes.
Foster said the solution is to extend the pipes on Baltimore, Trenton and Pittsburgh avenues, a project expected to cost “somewhere around $1 million,” he said. The resolution to accept contract documents for the outfall pipe modifications and repairs project was approved. It will be published as the next step in the process.
Present pipes are of ductile iron, which corrodes as well as takes a beating from waves, he noted. Because of that, the new pipes will be polymer that will not corrode, and stick out of the sand where walkers may encounter a nasty trip or cut.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton was amazed at the enlargement of the beach. He recalled years back when the beach seemed to continuously erode. “Why is it happening now?” he asked.
Foster cited the Army Corps of Engineers beach fill project of the Coast Guard beach that is used as a “feeder beach.” Another factor he cited, while the winter was severe on land, “the ocean did not have severe nor’easters as in past years. It did not take sandy away from the beach. Then, in the summer, the sand is pushed back up.”
“No kidding? That’s really interesting,” said Thornton.
“You create problems with a wider beach,” said Freeholder Kristine Gabor.
“Wildwood has the same problem,” said Foster.
Thoughts then turned to Sea Isle City and Whale Beach’s “sand sausages” (geotubes) that have served to bolster beaches in that city’s north end.
“Geotubes did a heck of a job,” said Vice Director and Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio. “The sand sausages were pretty good.”
Foster said when those tubes were placed in the north end of Sea Isle City as part of a federal highway project, they were never anticipated to last as long as they have.
“The person who handled the story in 1998 was the person who handled (Hurricane) Sandy (repairs), was the same person said ‘Look how well they held up,’” said Foster.
Part of their longevity, noted Desiderio, was keeping people from walking on them or putting umbrellas in them.
Thornton said when he was in Washington talking about storm defenses, he told about those geotubes. “I told them in the long run they were much cheaper than other forms of protection,” said Thornton. “They all nodded their heads.”
Desiderio reminded the board that, for many years, when nor’easters struck, Ocean Drive would be closed because the ocean breached the sand dunes. The geotubes have prevented that from happening.
“Are they expensive”” asked Thornton.
“Not really, they were under $1 million putting them in from Strathmere, it went 16 or 17 blocks,” Foster said.
“How much a foot?” asked Thornton. “Probably $1,000 or $1,200,” interjected Freeholder Will Morey.
“You would think they would be part of any beach fill project, that the feds would insist on that,” said Thornton.
Foster said key to the tubes, which are 10 feet in diameter and about 30 feet long, are three-foot “toes” at the end of the tube, that is filled with sand.
“In the long run you would think they would insist on them,” concluded Thornton.