Pending the adoption of an ordinance, Asbury Park will join a beach replenishment project covering much of Monmouth County’s coastline.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the federal government’s Army Corps of Engineers have an agreement in place to perform a replenishment project whereby they import sand from farther out in the ocean and bring it to municipalities affected by Hurricane Sandy, city engineer Joe Cunha said. A grant would cover 100 percent of the costs, he added.
The replenishment would extend the beach 100 to 200 feet farther out into the ocean, Cunha said. The city last underwent beach replenishment in 1996, Cunha said, and the beach has lost a “significant” amount of area since then.
Many municipalities along the coastline have already signed on for the replenishment, Cunha said.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ work will be broken into three contracts, organized geographically. Asbury Park would be part of the replenishment efforts stretching from the city down to Manasquan. The contract will go out to bid in early-to-mid-May, Cunha said, with bids being received June 18.
Work would begin a few months later, Cunha said, but he is unsure where the work will start. In any event, a dredge will be pumping off the coast of Monmouth County at some point this summer, he said.
It costs $120,000 to $150,000 per day for the dredge to operate, Cunha said, so the Army Corps of Engineers has an incentive to work as quickly as possible.
In 1996, the last time replenishment happened in the city, the dredging did not prevent beachgoers from visiting Asbury Park, Cunha said. In fact, people showed interest in the pipeline running along the beach, he said.
The city council must introduce and adopt an ordinance and also execute deeds for storm damage remediation in order to participate in the replenishment, Cunha said.
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