Jersey Shoreline: Oct. 30

October 30th, 2015

Jersey-Shoreline

The Jersey Shoreline  is a weekly round-up from New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium that scours the Garden State’s press and broadcasters for reports on several key topics related to the consortium’s research and outreach.

It was three years ago this week that Hurricane Sandy pummeled the Jersey Shore, the banks of the Hudson River and the Meadowlands, with a massive storm surge on top of a very high tide. Largely, the state media took the chance to take stock of what has happened since.

Hurricane Sandy Anniversary

Should N.J. have left Hurricane Sandy inlet open? (VIDEO) — Today’s video focuses on Mantoloking, a town on the northern barrier island in Ocean County where Sandy cut a pair of new inlets (or re-opened an old one). There, officials made a decision to quickly close the gap, driven by a desire to restore traffic and make whole the owners of a half dozen expensive homes in one of the wealthiest towns on the state. Read more at NJ.com.

Union Beach 3 Years After Sandy: Then and Now — It has been three years now since Hurricane Sandy decimated the Jersey Shore. Union Beach was one of the towns that was hit hardest by the 2012 fall storm. Read more at NJ.com.

North Jersey’s on guard against the next superstorm — From adding a pump station in Little Ferry to elevating Borough Hall in Moonachie, officials in the low-lying areas of the Meadowlands – which suffered devastating flooding from Superstorm Sandy – say they have spent the last three years fortifying their towns to better survive another major storm. Read more at the Record.

3 years after Sandy, North Jersey towns recall fury of storm — Five feet of water flooded into the Bazzarelli Ristorante during Superstorm Sandy, destroying equipment, toppling over refrigerators, even seeping into the chair cushions. Read more at the Record.

Miles from ocean, Cumberland has its own Sandy pain — In Cumberland County, damage was significant in many of the rural and sparsely populated communities along the Delaware Bay. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.

Dune replenishment fears hang over Sandy anniversary — As the third anniversary since Superstorm Sandy wrecked the Jersey Shore approaches, the lack of progress on beach and dune replenishment puts fear into many homeowners, who worry each time a storm approaches the area. Read more at the Asbury Park Press.

Three years after Sandy, some Delaware Bay shore residents resist giving way to nature — Kate Nelson lives in a tiny town called Bay Point in a small house she and her husband, Mike, are fixing up. They used to have a larger home along the Delaware Bay, but Superstorm Sandy destroyed it. Read more at Newsworks.

Jersey Shore At Varying Stages Of Recovery Three Years After Superstorm Sandy —Three years after Superstorm Sandy, New Jersey is a work in progress. More than 80,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed in the October 2012 storm. The cost: roughly $30 billion. Read more at CBS.

Three years after Sandy, a fight over coastal protection — After Superstorm Sandy left the New Jersey coastline in ruins three years ago, residents and officials were left with two big questions: first, how would the communities rebuild? And second, how would they protect the coastline along the Atlantic Ocean from the next big storm? Read more at Newsworks.

 

Aquaculture

Birds or bivalves frames Delaware Bay debate — A new study suggests the growing oyster aquaculture industry on the Delaware Bay tide flats is harming an endangered migratory shorebird. Read more at the Press of Atlantic City.

Coastal Processes & Concerns

PROFILE: THE MAN WHO WORKS TO MAKE THE HACKENSACK RIVER CLEAN AND CLEAR — Part ‘first responder for the river,’ and part environmental activist and teacher, Bill Sheehan says restoring the Hackensack is a 24/7 job. Read more at NJSpotlight.

Thousands volunteer for Beach Sweeps along the Shore  — The 30th annual Fall Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps drew 3,000 volunteers to Jersey Shore beaches to pick up hundreds of pieces of trash and debris. From Sandy Hook to Cape May, Individuals and teams of volunteers gave up their morning to help Clean Ocean Action analyze the debris for their annual report to identify pollution problems in hopes of getting stricter enforcement of existing laws to protect the marine environment. Read more at NJ101.5.

Measure to protect coral habitat off the Jersey Coast wins key support — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council recently voted in favor of a measure to preserve 38,000 miles of deep sea coral habitats off the Eastern Seaboard that are instrumental to New Jersey, according to officials at Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute (UCI). Read more at NJ101.5.

Community Resilience & Climate Adaptation

$57.6 million beach project completed in Cape May County — The Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced the completion of the beach and dune portion of a $57.6 million project in Cape May County. The announcement came on the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. Read more at NJ Environment News.

VIDEO: Oyster Reefs Built to Protect Shores —  Oyster reef breakwater structures are being built along the Gandy’s Beach shoreline to protect from storms and stop erosion. Watch at SNJ Today.

Marine Recreation & Jersey Shore Tourism

Striped bass turn on in Raritan Bay — After some up and down bass fishing, the stripers turned on big time in Raritan Bay on Sunday with the bite continuing through Monday. The fish also showed up in the suds and just off the beach in a couple of other spots. Read more at the Asbury Park Press.

Stripers arrive in force in Raritan Bay — It took a while, but the striped bass fishing finally broke open in Raritan Bay this week. Fish of various sizes showed up in different areas and were caught on the troll, with jigs, snagging bunker and even a fly rod. Read more at the Asbury Park Press.

Water Resources & Coastal Access

Fate Of Route 72 Basin Expansion Could Be Decided Soon — Officials are hopeful the long-awaited Neptune Basin expansion project beside Route 72 could receive a green-light from state officials soon. Read more at Micromedia Publications.

Another brown plume in Barnegat Bay angers environmental group — Another brown plume has surfaced in the Barnegat Bay in Seaside Park as crews continue to seal the pipes of a pumping system designed to reduce flooding in the area. Read more at NJ.com.