Ocean County chips in at Harvey Ceaders beach replenishment project

THE OCEAN COUNTY Board of Chosen Freeholders has provided Harvey Cedars with more than $1 million to help cover the cost of the municipal share for an upcoming beach renourishment project.

“Preserving the coastline protects coastal communities from storms; it protects lives and properties in addition to the health of our tourism industry,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr., “Renourishment projects are critical to the economic and environmental well being of the New Jersey coastline.”

Since 2004, Ocean County has been poised to help its municipalities that embark on beach renourishment projects.

“Providing this assistance to make certain those towns can continue to flourish and serve as the tourism hubs that they are is a sound investment,” Bartlett noted.

Harvey Cedars Mayor Jonathan S. Oldham said the partnership with Ocean County comes with a number of benefits.

“Tourism is our biggest industry here in Ocean County and it’s important to support it and work together,” Oldham said. “We also are happy to see some of our tax dollars returned to our town for a project that will protect our communities and also assist the Jersey Shore.

“This is a very positive partnership,” he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding 65 percent of the project, the state Department of Environmental Protection is funding 26.25 percent of the project and Harvey Cedars and Ocean County will fund 8.75 percent.

The replenishment project is expected to get underway soon and will include pumping about 2 million cubic yards of sand from 86th Street to Bergen Avenue.

The sand will be pumped from a set location in the ocean through a screen to a hopper dredge, then through a smaller diameter screen onto the beach via a 36-inch diameter pipeline. The project will begin at the north end of Harvey Cedars and continue south. The beach will be built at a rate of 100 to 200 linear feet per day.

“Ocean County is very pleased to be working in cooperation with Harvey Cedars in order to help move this project forward,” Bartlett said. “Our coastline is truly an environmental treasure. From our residents to our visitors, Ocean County’s beaches and coastal communities add a great deal to the overall quality of life in the County.”