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Beachgoers and boaters along the Jersey Shore can relish in the fact that our sand, sea, and lakes are as good as it gets.

Two and a half years after Superstorm Sandy, the Jersey Shore’s environmental recovery has been excellent, Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] Commissioner Bob Martin said this week during the NJ Sea Grant Consortium’s 13^th Annual State of the Shore Report, held Thursday afternoon at McLoone’s Asbury Grille & Supper Club on Ocean Avenue.

“The state of the New Jersey shore is outstanding,” Martin said. “The water quality is excellent, the beaches are in great shape.”

It’s been over a week since that great white shark Mary Lee was spotted along state’s coastline and jellyfish are not a concern, Martin said.

“There’s no overall shark activity,” Martin said. “Rip currents are a bigger danger than sharks.”

Despite the overall good ratings, there are ongoing areas of concern along the 127-mile shore line still vulnerable after Sandy.

“It’s impossible to imagine New Jersey without the Jersey Shore,” Martin said. “It’s such an important part of our culture, quality of life, and our identity as a state.”

Beach replenishment for holdout communities and residents continue to impede federal and state initiatives, Martin said.

They include Margate, where litigation continues, and northern Ocean County communities, where eminent domain cases are being assembled for the 280 needed easements. The easements are rights of way given in perpetuity for privately own beaches.

Still, in the past year, eight replenishment projects were completed to restore pre-Sandy engineered beaches at a federal cost of $345 million, Martin said.

In the past six months three projects were launched including the current $38.2 million Deal, Allenhurst, and Loch Arbour replenishment project.

This year, particular attention will be given to the amount of erosion incurred by Superstorm Sandy and how the beaches in the state’s four coastal counties are recovering from a loss of 14.24 million cubic yards of sand, which is the equivalent of 7.12 million light duty pick-up truck payloads, Sea Consortium spokesman Matthew McGrath said.

Here are some of the statistics courtesy of Martin, Stevens Institute of Technology Research Assistant Professor Dr. Jon Miller and Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center Director of Research Daniel Barone [shown at right]:

• The Jersey Shore is responsible for half of the state’s $42 billion tourism economy.

• Last year 99.9% of our beaches remained open during the summer season – 24 beaches were closed out of the nearly 70,000 beach days but half were related to precautionary rainfall closure policy.

• Last year there were 60 reported shark attacks in the country but in New Jersey alone two people die each year due to rip currents.

• Six hurricanes are predicted for this year, half of the annual average.

• The Cooperative Coastal Monitoring program tests 215 ocean and bay beaches across the state. Testing began May 11. Thus far 185 ocean stations and 30 bay stations tests all came back within water quality standards. Tests are conducted every Monday.

• Aerial surveillance to detect floatable debris and algae blooms begin Monday and will continue six days per week through September.

• When complete, the state will have dedicated $1 billion for comprehensive coastal protection.

• The Coastal Research Center conducts surveys at 105 locations within a mile of one another.

• While high and wide dunes are important, wide beaches are needed as a preventive buffer.

• Eight federally funded replenishment projects totaling $345 million are now complete.

• Three replenishment projects got underway within the past six weeks at $223 million cost.

• Replenishment is being done in 1,000-square-foot sections to minimize closure times to one or two days during the summer season.

If interested in how your beach stacks up in relation to the others or to participate in this year’s polling, visit www.njbeaches.org. Voting ends June 19.

For more information about the annual State of Shore report, visit www.njseagrant.org.

And, for more information on the DEP’s ongoing Sandy recovery projects, visit www.stat.nj.us/dep/special/hurricane-sandy.

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