Rock Walls Protect Sea Isle From Flooding

By MADDY VITALE China has its Great Wall. Sea Isle City has a “Great Wall,” too. Well, not really, but the city is in the process of building new rock walls, or berms, along the 3100 block of Central Avenue and the 100 block of 31st Street to serve as a flood barrier to stormwater seeping out of the surrounding marshlands. This is a part of a road reconstruction project. Upon completion of the berms, several streets will be paved. The city urged residents in Sea Isle’s community E-Newsletter on Thursday to be prepared for detours during the course of the project. Photos taken by the city on Wednesday showed the progress of the berm work along both streets. This is not the first rock wall or walls of its type that Sea Isle has built. Work is underway in the 100 block of 31st Street. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City) A similar rock wall, about 4 feet high, lines both sides of 38th Street leading to the bay at Sounds Avenue. It was constructed in 2018. It replaced mounds of dirt that created a barrier against flooding, but not as strong of one as the rock wall. The goal is to protect the homes in the neighborhoods along the bay and over the last several years. The city has been proactive in its fight against flooding with measures from building berms to installing a pumping station at 38th Street to flush stormwater back into the bay. The berms act as the first line of defense against flooding that comes from both the bay and the marshlands surrounding neighborhoods. While it does not completely hold back the floodwaters, residents have said that it helps a lot. And although they are decidedly low tech, rock walls or berms are used as barriers along the New Jersey coast and have proven effective in the fight against flooding on the barrier islands. A rock wall runs along both sides of 38th Street starting at Sounds Avenue to help stop floodwater coming from the surrounding marshlands. In addition to the latest berm construction, City Council awarded a contract in November to Landberg Construction, LLC, of Dorothy, N.J., in the amount of $835,167 for reconstruction of the following streets: Central Avenue – 29th Street to 36th Street 29th Street – Landis Avenue to Central Avenue 32nd Street – Landis Avenue to Central Avenue 33rd Street – Landis Avenue to Central Avenue 34th Street – Landis Avenue to Central Avenue