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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.
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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.
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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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