beachgoers claim plan is outdated
Homeowners,
beachgoers claim plan is outdated
By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer
One size doesn’t fit all was clearly the message sent by fishermen, surfers, divers and homeowners regarding the plan for beach replenishment in the Elberon section of Long Branch.
All the groups were represented and voiced their concerns at a meeting held Sunday. The meeting was called by Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-6) and lasted for more than three hours.
Bill Rosenblatt, mayor of Loch Arbour and a member of the national board of directors for the Surfrider Foundation, put forward an alternative to what the Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency handling the project, had proposed for the beach replenishment plan.
Among other things, Rosenblatt’s suggestion included a more gradual slope of sand into the ocean than is called for in the Army plan. Pallone said he wanted to see Rosenblatt’s proposal be considered as the Corps moves ahead with the project.
The estimated $25 million project to replenish the beach in Elberon, the last phase of the work in Long Branch, calls for more than 2 million cubic yards of sand to be pumped onto the beach from off-shore.
The sand will create a 100-foot-wide beach berm at an elevation of 10 feet above the mean low-water line. The berm will stretch from Takanassee Lake southward to Deal.
In addition to the sand, construction is expected to include notching existing stone groins and extending outfall pipes.
The project has scheduled a sand replenishment every six years for a period of 50 years.
Beach replenishment for the Elberon section of the shoreline was originally part of a larger project which included Deal, Allenhurst and Loch Arbour. Those three communities have not signed on to the plan, and until they do, their beaches cannot be included in the project.
According to Pallone, the city, which is in favor of the replenishment, separated Elberon from the larger plan two years ago so that the work could be done along its shoreline without waiting for the other three towns.
In its entirety, the beach erosion control project, which is meant to replenish 21 miles of shoreline stretching from Sea Bright to the Manasquan Inlet, was designed for storm protection.
The project is based on a cost-benefit analysis indicating that it will save millions of dollars that would be spent after future damaging storms, according to John Garofalo, project manager with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
He said that the cost analysis on storm damage is the reason why the federal government partly funded the project.
"We haven’t had a major hurricane but we are due," said Garofalo. "The beach replenishment cost analysis is based on storm damage and recreational [use] is second."
The beach erosion control project designed by the Corps is slated to begin in Elberon in April of next year, but with Sunday’s crowd of 200 in opposition to the project, its start date could very well be delayed up to a year.
"Eight years ago when we started the replenishment project," said Pallone, "there were not many objections. This last section’s (Elberon) homeowners, fisherman, divers and surfers have had a big problem with it."
Pallone noted that the purpose of the meeting, which allowed members of the community to address a panel on the matter, is to incorporate suggestions before beach replenishment moves forward.
Sea Bright Councilman Andrew Mencinsky said, "There is a major flaw with the procedure. The technology is 20 years old. Creating a beach 100 feet wide is not engineering."
Although Mencinsky gives credit to the project for restoring the beach in Sea Bright, he thinks things should be done differently and more care should be taken for the environment.
"This is not one size fits all," said Garofalo. "We will do things differently this time. This is a new administration and we will present to the Corps suggestions and plans from the community."
Some longtime residents of Elberon, such as Alfred Mirdrich of Ocean Avenue, questioned why replenishment was even necessary. With 45-year-old pictures in hand, Mirdrich said, "The beach looks the same as it did 45 years ago. The jetties with the T’s at the end of them protected our properties."
Referring to the sand which the Corps plans to place on the jetties, Mirdrich said "it won’t last."
According to Anthony Ciorra, project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, jetties are not effective enough in preventing storm damage if there is little sand on the beach. "Maintaining a level of sand will minimize storm damage," said Ciorra.
Noting the on-going erosion to the shoreline, Ciorra said, the height and width of the beach as it is now makes it susceptible to storm damage.
With the willingness to move away from a single design on the part of the DEP and the Army Corps, and with the alternatives cited by Rosenblatt, Pallone noted that meetings will be scheduled in which representatives of the community and government officials will sit down to create a plan.
According to Pallone preliminary ideas are to only replenish the north and south end, using a gradual slope to eliminate a sharp drop-off into the water and to recreate fishing beyond the beach fill by using an artificial reef to increase fish habitat.
Pallone added, "By not placing sand on the jetties [the project] would cost significantly less."
The project is funded by a formula created through federal legislation. Under the rules created when the project was conceived, 65 percent of the cost for the work will be picked up by the federal government, 25 percent is paid by the state government and the final 10 percent is paid for by the municipality where the work is being done, in this case Long Branch.
According to City Administrator Howard H. Woolley, Jr., the entire cost for beach replenishment including the last phase in Elberon was bonded during the first phase.
Because Long Branch is eligible for urban aid, noted Woolley, the city will save a total of $1.3 million. Long Branch will only have to fund $330,000.