STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council heard from Dr. Stewart Farrell, of the Coastal Research Center, June 16 on the state of the borough’s beaches.
Comparing October 2019 to April 2020, Farrell said that the beaches experienced a new gain of sand. A mild winter, free of major storms, allowed almost identical amounts of sand to move onto the beaches as traveled back out to sea. The result was a small net gain for the beaches.
This was good news for a community that did not have the advantage of federally sponsored beach replenishment in 2019 due to a controversy over the removal of sand from Hereford Inlet.
Farrell also said that the right to use the sand from the inlet in the future, seemingly guaranteed by a ruling from Secretary of the Interior David Burnhardt, may be jeopardized by litigation filed by the National Audubon Society.
Use of the sand was restricted by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife interpretation of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. The Audubon Society said it was “deeply concerned” about Burnhardt’s decision, which they claim was made “with no opportunity for public review.”
