Group rallies against beach replenishment project
Pallone issues statement, says he is discussing concerns with Army Corps
Local anglers amassed alongside surfers, environmentalists and concerned residents that live along Deal Lake on Friday to call attention to aspects of the Elberon to Loch Arbour beach replenishment project they believe will irreparably harm a well-known fishing locale and potentially dam up the Deal Lake flume structure.
Representatives from the Asbury Park Fishing Club, Deal Lake Commission and American Littoral Society addressed a crowd of about 200 people gathered in front of the Deal Lake flume house, urging them to contact Congressman Frank Pallone and representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers [ACOE] to get their voices heard.
Greg Hueth , president of the Shark River Surf Anglers and one of the founders of the Save the Summer Flounder Foundation, said there can be no compromise and all interested parties from the various organizations in attendance, the DEP, ACOE and local politicians need to sit down to discuss the project.
“If we do not, they will walk all over us,” Hueth said.
The roughly 3.5 mile proposed Elberon to Loch Arbour project calls for the placement of about 4.5 million cubic yards of sand and the modification of six groins to allow for the movement of sediment, as well as modifications to 16 outfalls to ensure their continued operation after the beach berm is created, according to a news release from the ACOE.
The group opposes groin modification, known as notching, which involves the removal of an entire section of rocks in the area of the groin closest to the beach, and the blockage of the Deal Lake flume they say is an inevitable result as the ocean water moves the newly placed sand around. The flume allows water to exchange between the ocean and the Lake. If it is blocked, the surrounding area faces increased risk of flooding and fish will not be able to enter the lake to spawn.
Notching prevents access to the groin during high tides and creates rip tides and causes hazardous swimming conditions, Asbury Park Fishing Club President Joe Pallotto said. Pallotto said the section beach from Loch Arbour to Elberon is well-known by anglers who refer to it as “Jetty Country,” and recreational fishing will be harmed for years if the groins are modified.
Beach replenishment cannot be approached as a “one size fits all” solution for every beach along coastline, said former Loch Arbour Mayor Bill Rosenblatt, who is also a local fisherman and said the area in question is “too important an ecological resource.” Rosenblatt also wondered what the results of the initial study conducted by the ACOE on notching are, and why they have not been published.
“Notching the jetties was an experiment. What has the result of the experiment been?” he said. “I’m a data guy, and I have yet to have anyone show me that.”
“The question to the Army Corps is, where is the evidence that supports notching jetties?” Joe Woerner, an Asbury Park resident and member of the Surfrider Foundation told the Sun. “We know from our experience on the beach it makes it dangerous for swimmers and cuts off jetty access for fishermen. To notch it without benefit makes no sense.”
Deal Lake Commission Chairman Don Brockel said the sand piled on the beach is only going to blow into Deal Lake and sand from the completed Asbury Park replenishment project is already clogging the flume structure under the Eighth Avenue jetty.
“I see no dunes [in the project proposal], no protection for Deal Lake,” he said.
The state spent $8 million to extend the flume structure after it clogged during a beach replenishment project in the 1990s.
“I don’t understand why we can’t learn from our mistakes,” Asbury Park Councilwoman Sue Henderson, who sits on the Deal Lake Commission and has lived along the lake for the past 21 years, told the Sun. Henderson also recalled the last time a replenishment effort clogged the flume and the herring population was decimated by seagulls that easily spotted the fish in the shallow water as they tried to make their way into the flume.
Organizers urged those in attendance to contact Congressman Frank Pallone and Army Corps of Engineers Project Biologist Howard Ruben.
“Let’s keep it rolling,” Pallotto said. “Let’s get in touch with [Congressman Frank] Pallone and see what he can do about it.”
Pallone issued a statement Friday in response to the concerns voiced at the protest. In the statement, he asked all of the protesters to formally submit their comments about the project in writing. He also said he is working with the ACOE to negotiate a resolution in respect to the groin notching and that he has passed on the concerns about the flume blockage to the Army Corps, who said they will monitor the flume and clear any sediment that blocks it during the project and to look at a long-term solution to further extend the flume.
“While the ACOE engineers recognizes the problem of sand blocking the flume and entering the lake, they are proposing a short-term solution which is unacceptable,” said Councilman John Moor. “The $64,000 question is: What happens when the project is done and who will make corrections after that?”
Pallone’s full statement is as follows:
I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to express your concerns regarding the Elberon to Loch Arbour Beach Replenishment project. First, I encourage all of you here today to formally submit your concerns and comments on this project in writing if you have not done so. The best method to do this is to email your concerns to Jenifer Thalhauser at Jenifer.E.Thalhauser@usace.
Many of you in attendance have reached out to me to express your concerns with the proposed project. I understand your concerns with respect to notching the groins in this area and the impacts this may have on recreational fishing. I am discussing this issue with the Army Corps of Engineers and trying to find a resolution that does not negatively impact fishermen in the area.
I have also heard concerns regarding sand building up in the Deal Lake Flume, causing a blockage of the flow between the lake and ocean. I have raised this issue with the Army Corps and they are planning to monitor the flume and clear any sediment buildup that occurs throughout the project. We will also look at the possibility of reconfiguring the placement of sand in the area adjacent to the flume. One long-term solution may be to extend the Deal Lake Flume to limit the amount of sand that can block its flow.
The buildup of sediment in Deal Lake from Superstorm Sandy is another issue that must be addressed. I am pleased that $1 million in federal funds has been allocated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to remove sediment from the lake. I understand this will not address all of the sediment buildup in the lake and will look into the possibility of additional state funds for this work.
I look forward to working with all of you as this important project progresses. Please feel free to reach out to my office with your concerns throughout this process. Thank you.
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