Long Beach Island: Dunes or Doomed?

Long Beach Island: Dunes or Doomed?

Today in Long Beach Island, the Army Corps of Engineers have resumed a $138 million dune project for 13 miles that will use public funding to widen beaches. We are concerned that this plan to replenish beaches by just pumping sand on the beach will fail like seen in the past with recent storms in LBI. Additionally, since New Jersey is not planning for sea level rise or future storm surges dunes may not be enough to protect us from severe storms. With over-development and sea level rise, we question whether these dunes will even last. At the same time, they are offering developers the chance to develop in environmentally sensitive areas and areas vulnerable to flooding. The DEP has opened up our coast for more development by weakening CAFRA rules, opening new loopholes for development, weakening the Flood Hazard Rule, and promoting more development along the coast.

“It is important to require dunes as we restore and rebuild our beaches in Long Beach Island. The dunes will help prevent the beaches from eroding in the next storm, but because the DEP does not want to deal with climate change these projects may not last. The DEP has not addressed sea level rise and storm surges. The DEP is allowing for more development and loopholes in coastal areas putting more people and harm’s way. The dunes cannot protect us from sea level rise and storm surges nor will it protect the people on Long Beach Island,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “ Last year, the dune project failed in LBI because the Army Corps did not design them properly and the DEP hasn’t addressed sea level rise and future storm surges. In order to deal with storms there needs to be an overall comprehensive approach including the need to elevate structures and move them back from the water’s edge. The Army Corps and DEP must restore our natural dune systems correctly and reduce our impact on climate change, unless all this time and money will be wasted.”

The LBI dune system failed last October during Hurricane Joaquin. This shows the Christie Administration has done little to protect us from the next storm. In the Long Beach Island section of Holgate, much of the newly finished beach access ramp and dune system built by the Army Corps of Engineers was buried and destroyed. This is just one example of the multitude of problems with our dune systems and coastal zone planning. While the NJDEP has rolled back protections, Rutgers found at the Jersey Shore sea level will increase by 1 ft. by 2050. Another Rutgers study has shown severe 500-year floods could hit us every generation. Instead of protecting us from flooding, the Administration’s rollbacks on the Flood Hazard Rules include removing important protects for headwaters, increasing permit by rules, and letting a permit by certification process increase development in flood-prone areas. Governor Christie has weakened storm water rules as well which would require recharging and detention of stormwater as well as buffers. Most of the stormwater control systems we have are broken or do not work, contributing to flooding and pollution.

“We need a comprehensive approach do deal with climate change to lessen the impacts on storms along our coast. Without addressing sea level rise the frequency of severe storms, we are wasting money. Restoring natural features like stream buffers, regional storm water planning, and developing new flood storage areas will prevent further development in flood pone areas. We also need to buy out flood prone properties and mitigate our impact on climate change,” said Jeff Tittel. “Instead, the Christie Administration that has headed us toward a perfect storm of overdevelopment, storm surges, and flooding creating a recipe for disaster along our coast. As the population of coastal communities keeps growing, the potential for disaster will be greater. Under Christie’s administration, the state has closed the Office of Climate Change, pulled us out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and ended DEP’s coastal programs for mitigation. The DEP denies science of climate change, allows loopholes for development in coastal areas, while proposing rollbacks that have put more people and property in harm’s way.”

This administration has rolled back rules on public access. In the past, public access was required every mile now it is only every half mile. The public is expected to pay for this project, but the administration will not allow the public to use them. The beaches belong to all of us an in order to get public funding they should require public access. The beach is public land that New Jerseyans have paid for and should be kept in the public trust for all of us to use. The LBI project will utilize our taxpayer dollars and FEMA money, but they won’t allow the public to access the beach.

“The DEP wants to use our money to fix beaches, but they will not allow access. Not only does Long Beach Island have a bad record with public access, the DEP itself has rolled back beach access rules and cut access points in half. They want our money, but not us. Army Corps forgets it is our money being used without these safeguards. We need to ensure these projects are done right the first time to protect people and property because the threat of these storms will only worsen,” said Tittel.

At the same time they are spending millions on this project, in Holgate, an area just south of the project, the DEP is pushing more development on wetlands by requesting a rule change to develop on sensitive coastal area. The petition from builders to exclude an approximate 2.2-acre portion of property as coastal wetlands. After the marshes were supposedly wiped out by Sandy, DEP found that sand was deposited as a result of the storm. Though the site does not contain marshes currently, the site is still a flood prone area and extremely vulnerable to future storm impacts. The Holgate proposal represents the need for a comprehensive approach that prevents builders from developing on coastal wetlands. The CAFRA proposal was written by builders and owners of the site who want to develop the property. The proposal takes no consideration for future storm events and flooding. DEP has now accepted the proposal and are going forward with another public hearing on May 18th. The proposal puts the entire Holgate area at risk for future storm impacts.

“The irony is that at the same time the DEP is building dunes, they are proposing more development by a developer in Holgate. Dunes are good but DEP policies are a disaster waiting to happen. It is important to require dunes as we restore and rebuild our beaches, but if we don’t address climate change we are doomed. The dunes cannot protect us from sea level rise and storm surges nor will it protect the people on Long Beach Island, said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “DEP has continued to deny climate change science and sea level rise and instead has sided with developers.”

NJDEP press release can be found below:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Considine (609) 292-2994

May 5, 2016 Larry Hajna (609) 984-1795

Caryn Shinske (609) 984-1795

LONG BEACH ISLAND BEACH AND DUNE CONSTRUCTION RESUMES

THREE DREDGES NOW PUMPING SAND TO COMPLETE $138 MILLION PROJECT

(16/P33) TRENTON - A $138 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project to construct beaches and dunes on Long Beach Island which was temporarily suspended over the winter has resumed, with three dredges currently pumping sand in the Borough of Beach Haven and work continuing throughout the barrier island this summer, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced.

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Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the job of constructing engineered beaches and dunes for nearly 13 miles on Long Beach Island, had left the project last December to work on other assignments.

But the dredging company began returning equipment over the past several weeks to complete the work on Long Beach Island.

"While we were disappointed the dredges abandoned the project and left some parts of Long Beach Island vulnerable for the winter, we are delighted that work has resumed," Commissioner Martin said. "We remain committed to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete this project and provide maximum coastal projection for the people, homes and businesses of Long Beach Island."

"There is a great deal of competition nationwide for dredging equipment capable of this type of work," said Lt. Col. Michael Bliss, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District. "But, as planned, we now have three of Great Lakes' hopper dredges on hand to work on this vital project, which will reduce the risk of storm damages for communities on Long Beach Island."

The project began last May, with work starting in the Borough of Ship Bottom, as well as Brant Beach and other parts of Long Beach Township.

Last week, the Liberty Island dredge started pumping sand just north of West Osborn Avenue on the border of Beach Haven and Long Beach Township, while the Dodge Island and Padre Island were discharging about two miles north at East 13th Street. Work in Beach Haven is expected to be completed by the first week in June, before Great Lakes Dredge & Dock moves south to build

much-needed beach and dunes in the Holgate section of Long Beach Township, at the southern tip of the island.

Once the work in Holgate is completed, the contractor will head north to North Beach and then to Loveladies in Long Beach Township to complete the project.

On March 28 , a Superior Court judge in Ocean County confirmed in a ruling that the state has the legal authority to condemn property from beachfront homeowners for the purposes of shore protection.

Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps has contracted with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock for beach repairs to small areas of Ship Bottom, Brant Beach and Long Beach Township that sustained damage from nor'easters in October and January.

The federally-funded beach and dune project is being undertaken as part of the Christie Administration's strategy to build a comprehensive coastal protection system to guard against the kind of destruction the state witnessed during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

Also known as the Barnegat Inlet to Little Egg Inlet project, the beach and dune construction project is one of seven significant U.S. Army Corps beach improvement projects statewide authorized by Congress but never completed before Sandy hit.

The project encompasses a total of 12.7 miles of beaches in Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven and part of Surf City. The U.S. Army Corps will complete storm damage reduction projects that were being constructed in phases prior to Sandy striking New Jersey in October 2012. The contract to complete the initial construction on LBI is funded 100 percent by the federal government under the provisions of the Sandy Relief Act enacted in 2013.

The project involves construction of a dune system with a top elevation of 22 feet. The beach and dune system being constructed will range from 300 to 400 feet wide and have an elevation of eight feet above sea level, better protecting the island against storm surge.

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