"Sand Harvesting" to Help Repair Some of Sea Isle's Eroded Beaches

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Mother Nature and Sea Isle City’s Public Works Department will combine forces to repair some of the severely eroded beaches and dunes that were damaged by a series of storms in recent months. Mayor Leonard Desiderio said Public Works crews will begin a process known as “sand harvesting” in the spring to restore some of the hard-hit areas. “Realizing that we have experienced some beach erosion during the past several months, we will continue to monitor our shoreline and make certain that each of our beach entrances are safe and operational,” Desiderio said in a statement posted on the city’s website. “Also, in the spring, the Department of Public Works will perform limited sand harvesting operations in advance of the Army Corps of Engineers’ beach replenishment project – because we want everyone to enjoy the summer of 2023 on the beach in Sea Isle City,” he added. Simply put, sand harvesting involves taking sand from healthy beaches to replace sand that has been lost in depleted areas. Earthmoving equipment is used for the job. Sea Isle has done limited sand harvesting in previous years to restore parts of the shoreline. Sea Isle officials are also hoping that Mother Nature will pitch in. City Business Administrator George Savastano said the city is also counting on the natural buildup of sand to help restore the beaches. Some of the storm-damaged beach pathways in Townsends Inlet in the south end of town are blocked off. Storms in late 2022 and the beginning of the new year continue to erode the protective barrier of dunes as well as the powdery top layer of sand that gives the beaches their attractive appearance. Parts of town that have damaged are the dunes between 88th and 92nd streets in Townsends Inlet and the popular midtown beaches in the area around John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Sea Isle, Strathmere and the south end of Ocean City will be part of an estimated $30 million project to restore the beaches with new sand this year. The contract for that project is expected to be awarded in the spring by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but it is not yet known how much sand will be added, which beaches will be restored and exactly when the work will be done. In the meantime, the city will undertake sand harvesting for short-term repairs in advance of the replenishment project. Mini-cliffs about 10 to 15 feet high in some spots are created in the dunes between 88th and 92nd Streets. About a four-block stretch of dunes between 88th and 92nd streets have been severely damaged by the ocean. Cliff-like faces about 10 to 15 feet high have been carved in the dunes in this area. In one dramatic case, an oceanfront house at the end of 90th Street appears to be only 15 feet or so from where the dunes have been sheared away by the waves. The single-family home is up for sale, with a list price of $4.5 million. The city has erected barriers to prevent people from walking on some of the beach pathways in Townsends Inlet and getting too close to the dune drop-offs. Members of City Council briefly discussed the damaged beaches and dunes with Savastano during their Jan. 10 meeting. “There are some narrow areas,” City Council President Mary Tighe said to Savastano while referring to the erosion. Savastano assured Council that the Public Works Department will be shoring up the damaged areas, along with the hope that some of the erosion will be filled in by a natural buildup of sand. An oceanfront house at the end of 90th Street is close to where the dunes are sheared away.