Coastal Reconstruction To Begin At New Jersey’s Long Beach Island

Sub title
Largest amount of OCS sand ever from Atlantic waters for a single project
Release Date
05/07/2015
Washington, DC

Contact: Marjorie.Weisskohl@boem.gov

703-787-1304

As part of President Obama’s continuing commitment to help coastal communities recover from Hurricane Sandy and promote resilient coastal systems, beachfill construction to complete the remaining sections of the Storm Damage Reduction Project on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, began this week. Sand dredged from federal offshore waters is being placed along 11.5 miles of shoreline between Barnegat Inlet and Little Egg Inlet in the previously unconstructed portions of the project.

Brant Beach reconstruction, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in 2012. Photo courtesy of US Army Corps of Engineers.
Brant Beach reconstruction,
Long Beach Island, New Jersey,
 in 2012. Photo courtesy of US
 Army Corps of Engineers.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which oversees access to Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) resources, is making available up to seven million cubic yards of sand from federal waters under an agreement announced last July between BOEM, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Philadelphia District, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

“Hurricane Sandy left a mark on coastal communities up and down the east coast,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. “With the sand resources now identified, this agreement reflects BOEM’s continuing commitment to work with New Jersey to help coastal communities recover from Hurricane Sandy and enhance resilience efforts for the future,” Hopper said. “We are committed to working in a collaborative manner to help local communities withstand damage from future storms.”

This is the largest amount of OCS sand conveyed by BOEM along the Atlantic coast for a single project to date. The project will require up to three dredge vessels to excavate material from state and federal waters, and is expected to extend through April 2016. It will build upon previous beachfill operations that used more than four million cubic yards of sand from New Jersey state waters.

The New Jersey Geological and Water Survey (a part of the NJDEP) in cooperation with BOEM, identified, characterized and quantified the resource site, handing off these findings to the U.S. Army Corps, which further evaluated the site for use in the Long Beach Island beach construction project.

This project was authorized for construction by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 and was partially constructed before Hurricane Sandy affected the New Jersey shoreline. Under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, Congress authorized the Corps to complete the construction of the project and appropriated the additional funding.

The beachfill construction is designed to reduce storm damages to property and infrastructure that is vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes, nor’easters, and long term erosion. In addition, the project will help to maintain recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat along the Long Beach Island beach areas.

Since Hurricane Sandy struck, BOEM has been working with the Corps, other members of the Federal government’s Hurricane Sandy Task Force, state coastal planning agencies, state geological surveys and other entities to analyze the needs for coastal restoration and to develop restoration plans.

BOEM has the authority to convey, on a noncompetitive basis, the rights to resources for shore protection, beach or wetland restoration projects, or for use in construction projects funded in whole or part, or authorized by the Federal government. In exercising this authority, BOEM may issue a negotiated non-competitive lease agreement for the use of OCS sand to a qualifying entity.

Over the past 20 years, BOEM has invested more than $30 million to identify non-energy resources on the OCS, conduct world-class scientific research, and lease OCS resources to coastal communities in need. Information from environmental research and resource identification has informed environmental assessment and leasing decisions concerning the use of OCS sand resources in beach nourishment and coastal restoration.

For more information about BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program, visit http://www.boem.gov/Marine-Minerals-Program/.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management promotes economic development, energy independence, and environmental protection through responsible, science-based management of offshore conventional and renewable energy resources.