$75K Grant Award To New Jersey Coastal Coalition

Press release from the New Jersey Coastal Coalition: The New Jersey Coastal Coalition has received a $75,000 grant to conduct a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that will identify high-risk areas for flooding across four counties in municipalities throughout South Jersey and provide potential solutions.

The New Jersey Coastal Coalition will work in partnership with Coastal Strategies of Washington, D.C., the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a plan to increase resilience to tidal flooding and storm surge through the corps' Planning Assistance to States program.

As a supplement to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Back Bays Study, a focus-area study authorized by congress after Superstorm Sandy, Coastal Strategies was hired as a lead consultant to identify a funding source for a study that would document the cause of the high-frequency tidal flooding problems in 13 municipalities. This included the identification of potential measures to address the problems, an evaluation of the feasibility of remedial measures, and potential preliminary conceptual solutions.

Coastal Strategies coordinated the joint partnership between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District to fund and study the problem. The municipalities included in the study are Egg Harbor Township, Ocean City, Upper Township, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, North Wildwood, West Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Cape May City, Cape May Point, Downe Township, and Woodbridge Township.

"This will provide these municipalities with important data that will be used to help mitigate flooding issues that directly impact residents," said New Jersey Coastal Coalition Executive Director Tom Quirk. "We sincerely appreciate the support from Coastal Strategies, the Army Corps of Engineers and the DEP and we look forward to working with these organizations."

The New Jersey Coastal Coalition is a 501c3 charitable trust organization incorporated in the State of New Jersey and has worked since 2013 on flood mitigation and the challenges faced by Jersey Shore communities on tidal, rainwater and coastal flooding.

The New Jersey Coastal Coalition also produces Tidal Flooding Talk, a talk show hosted by meteorologist Dan Skeldon and Palma Accardi streamed live on Facebook.

Coastal Strategies is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that prepares, finances and delivers coastal resilience projects that mitigate against flooding, storm surge and other coastal hazards for state and local governments, businesses and nonprofits on coastal resilience. It has worked with clients nationwide on project planning, federal and state policy, finance, engineering, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers consulting, and emergency preparation.

This press release was produced by the New Jersey Coastal Coalition. The views expressed here are the author's own.