Congressman Jeff Van Drew met with mayors from coastal towns on Tuesday, Aug. 26, to discuss beach replenishment following the erosion caused by Hurricane Erin.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), erosion damage was seen from Monmouth County to the southernmost tip of Cape May County.
Van Drew, R-2nd, convened a closed-door meeting in his office with mayors from Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties, along with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NJDEP.
He hopes to build a “permanent and reliable” source of federal funding for beach replenishment projects nationwide.
“This will give our towns the stability they deserve and help keep costs down. I will also be meeting with the dredging industry to push for lower costs for projects, and we are moving forward with my Hot Spot Erosion Mitigation Law, which is already being piloted in Atlantic City to keep sand on the beaches while saving money for our communities,” said Congressman Van Drew in an Aug. 27 press release.
Among those present was Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, who is confident that the representative will deliver on his promise.
Ocean City has been included in the New Jersey Shore Protection Program since its initial construction in 1992, with periodic nourishment every three years to maintain the minimum berm width of 100 feet. The program combines state and local efforts, overseen by the NJDEP, to reduce coastal storm damage and erosion from rising sea levels.
“The program has been an unquestionable success across the eight miles of Ocean City beaches, since it was first launched in the early 1990s. I would like to invite anybody who doubts the effectiveness of the program to visit us to see exactly how it has created miles of wide beaches and a protective dune system,” Gillian said in an Aug. 29 update.
The meeting occurred in a year marked by the absence of federal funding for beach projects; Van Drew said that reports of funding cuts were inaccurate, however.
He explained that no beach projects were funded this year because the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution, which maintained prior spending levels but excluded new projects. Van Drew expressed confidence that funding would return in next year’s budget.
“We have delivered record levels of funding for our shore, and I expect that success to continue. My promise is the same as it has always been — I will always fight to protect our beaches, our towns and our families here at the Jersey Shore,” Van Drew said.
From Brigantine through Ocean City, the NJDEP reported moderate erosion across much of the shoreline. Waves driven by the storm reached dunes and upper beach areas, cutting into protective buffers that communities rely on for storm defense.
In Atlantic City, the NJDEP said there was “notable” beach loss along with minor dune scarping — when the front of a sand dune is cut into a steep, cliff-like shape — and damage to sand fences north of St. James Place in the North Beach section. Ocean City also sustained visible impacts, including wave runup beneath the boardwalk at 5th Street and additional dune scarping stretching from 4th Street to 11th Street.
The damage was especially pronounced in towns that have not recently undergone beach replenishment projects. Those delays, often tied to cuts in federal funding or limited state and local resources, have left vulnerable stretches of shoreline more exposed to storms.
Federal replenishment programs have played a critical role in protecting Jersey Shore communities since that first replenishment more than three decades ago. According to Van Drew’s office, reported by Breaking AC, over the past five years, the state has received $314.1 million in federal beach replenishment funding — second only to Florida. When combined with state dollars, nearly $500 million has gone toward protecting the shoreline during that time.
Julia is a recent Rider University graduate, where she studied multiplatform journalism and social media strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, trying new coffee shops, photography and the beach. She can be reached at juliatrainmedia@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
