NJ Seeks Repair Help For Nor'easter Beach Erosion From Army Corps

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The state Department of Environmental Protection has asked the federal government for emergency assistance in shoring up beaches — including Ortley Beach — that suffered significant damage in last week’s nor’easter.

In a letter Monday to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state officials asked the Army Corps to provide “immediate financial and technical support to enable recovery” of the nine sites that suffered major storm damage.

The state asks the Army Corps to “immediately prioritize the foregoing areas of major damage for emergency funding and, if such funding is not immediately available, that (the Army Corps) seek the appropriation necessary to implement recovery efforts in these areas,” wrote Shawn M. LaTourette, acting commissioner of the NJDEP. The letter asks the Army Corps to repair the areas with beach replenishments before the summer tourism season begins.

The state’s survey of 81 beach sites from Raritan Bay down the ocean coastline and up into Delaware Bay showed minor to moderate erosion to 72 sites, with nine — including Bay Head and Ortley Beach, where drop-offs were estimated at 12 to 20 feet high — suffering major damage as the slow-moving nor’easter churned through from Feb. 1 through Feb. 3. Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars and Beach Haven also suffered major damage, as did sites in Atlantic City and in North Wildwood.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday had called on the federal government to address the erosion, in part because towns are “completely exposed right now."

The state DEP and the Army Corps coordinated a $128 million beach replenishment and dune construction project for the northern barrier island beaches in Ocean County that was completed in 2019.

"All of our beachfill projects in New Jersey are done in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection," Steve Rochette, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps Philadelphia office, said Friday.

"After storms, we coordinate with NJDEP on the extent of erosion to projects areas. We're still getting updates from the state, but preliminary information indicates several areas experienced significant erosion to beach berms as well as some dune erosion," Rochette said. "In some cases, we're able to get approval to place sand to areas damaged by 'extraordinary storm events.' "

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.