Federal beach nourishment project in Atlantic City, NJ   Photo courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers

New Jersey's beaches not only provide recreation for beachgoers and fishermen and support a multi-billion dollar tourism industry, but play a much more critical role when faced with a coastal storm. New Jersey's unique geography places the State in the potential path of hurricanes, tropical storms and nor'easters. Healthy beaches provide mitigation from these natural disasters by acting as a buffer between the pounding surf and the homes, businesses and infrastructure along the coast.

The Bureau of Coastal Engineering, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provides beach nourishment and re-nourishment projects for the purpose of restoring New Jersey's beaches along our coastline.

Beach nourishment project in Sea Girt, NJ

Beach nourishment projects consist of the initial placement of sand along a beach that has experienced erosion. Sources of sand for such projects can include a local source such as from a neighboring beach or sandbar, a dredged source such as a nearby inlet or waterway, an inland source such as a mining quarry, or, as used most commonly in large-scale projects, an offshore source such as a borrow site along the ocean bottom. This sand can be brought in with trucks or barges, hydraulically pumped or any combination of the above, and is then spread evenly along the beach using a common bulldozer. This completes the initial beach nourishment phase.

As nourished beaches undergo erosion, they must be maintained through beach re-nourishment. The re-nourishment process consists of restoring the beach to initial conditions and usually has less time and cost associated with the project when compared to the initial nourishment. The time between re-nourishment projects, called the re-nourishment cycle, is dependent upon the severity of annual erosion of the beach and is usually several years.

Federal beach nourishment project underway in Cay May, NJ   Photo courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers

Project Funding:

Depending on the purpose and location of the project, funding may be available from several sources. For federal beachfill projects, the federal government contributes 65% of the project cost while the remaining 35% is divided into a cost-share, with the state contributing 75% and the local governments contributing the remaining 25%. Non-federal beachfill projects are funded through a state/local cost-share, with the state contributing 75% and the local governments contributing 25%. All funding is provided through the Shore Protection Fund (N.J.S.A. 13:19-16 et seq.), which ensures the critical funding needed annually to continue the beach nourishment program and protect New Jersey's coastal communities.

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