News
Monmouth Beach Seeks Emergency Beach Replenishment
By Joan Labanca
MONMOUTH BEACH - The severe erosion occurring along the entire beach in Monmouth Beach has Borough officials seeking a rapid solution to what could become a major problem.
Monmouth Beach is in a fifty-year beach replenishment agreement that was signed in 1989 which stipulates that the sand be replenished every six years. According to the agreement the beach was replenished in 2000, however, it needed emergency replenishment in 2003 because of severe erosion due to storm damage.
In 2009 it will have been six years since the last replenishment.
However, due to the considerable erosion of the beach, Monmouth Beach Mayor Susan Howard is seeking support for replenishing the beaches sooner.
Howard has reached out to and met with a representative from the office of Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-6) in an effort to have Monmouth Beach included in the upcoming beach replenishment scheduled for Long Branch later this year.
"They are aware of our situation and of our concern," Howard said. "We have not yet received an official response."
Howard is also urging Monmouth Beach residents and Monmouth Beach Bathing Pavilion members to write to elected officials expressing concern for the impact further erosion could have on the area.
Further erosion would put the seawall at risk for damage and ultimately Highway 36 Howard said. According to Howard, beach replenishment is necessary to protect the entire town of Monmouth Beach from any devastation that could result from a major storm.
However, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Douglas Leite there are no funds available for replenishment of Monmouth Beach.
Funding has been set aside and is going toward replenishment of the beaches in southern Long Branch according to Leite.
"Under the current contract scheduled to be awarded there is no provision for any beach nourishment for Monmouth Beach," Leite said.
While Monmouth Beach was hit hard by recent storms, it seems beaches to the north in Sea Bright were spared from devastating erosion.
Sea Bright has an active sand-dune program and has planted sea grass as well as reinforced and replaced dune fencing over the last few weeks according to Councilman Thomas Scriven.
Scriven said that the dune grass and fencing has been a great barrier from excess sand loss.
According to Scriven it is a "checkerboard" effect where sand loss from Asbury Park will be deposited in Long Branch and loss from Long Branch will be deposited in Monmouth Beach and has Sea Bright and so on all the way to Sandy Hook.
"It's a natural thing the way the tides work," said Scriven. "We expect sand loss but gradually it will come back. Sooner or later Mother Nature takes control and makes the improvements she wants."
"It is a cycle," Sea Bright Mayor Maria Fernandes said.
Fernandes said that an active dune grass and fencing program has maintained quite a bit of sand on the beaches.
"(The beaches) have held up pretty well," Fernandes said. "What a Nor'easter takes away a western wind brings back. There is plenty of beach for people to come and enjoy the ocean."
Fernandes expressed concern for the future in regard to the Federal Government continuing beach replenishment programs.
"We keep hoping the Federal Government continues with its beach replenishment programs otherwise we can't afford to do it on our own," Fernandes said.
