Judge won't stop Long Branch beach replenishment - A U.S. District judge today refused to stop a beach replenishment project scheduled to begin in Long Branch next month. Judge Mary Cooper, sitting in Trenton, said the Jersey Shore chapter of the Surfrider Foundation did not meet the criteria needed for her to take such a step. The foundation sued to stop work on the $9.3 million project until the federal government agrees to test the sand to be used on a quarter-mile of the Monmouth County beach for potential contaminants. "Obviously we're going to keep going forward," said Surfrider attorney James Sullivan. "Hopefully at the end of the day we'll succeed." http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/surfers_group_wants_sand_teste.html
One of the criteria for using dredged material as fill is to sample the material for grain-size. If the grain size is 90% sand or greater, then the material physically does not possess the qualities to retain contaminants....federal and state rules and regs do not require material (90% or greater sand) to be tested for chemical analysis because of this. Plus...the HARS area that they are saying is one of the contaminating sources to the area where they get the sand is from is nearly 2 miles away and is nearly 5 miles away from the Mud Dump area that had the bad **** in it..to top it off, this bad area has been covered with clean material and is nearly 20-50 feet deeper then the area that they dredge the sand from for this project. Also, in the newspaper articles leading up to yesterday were stating: "The court filing said there is "a substantial risk that the Corps will transport toxic contaminants and fecal coliform-laden sand to the beaches of Long Branch. Shellfishing is prohibited in the area where the sand is to be dredged because of high levels of fecal coliform, according to the lawsuit." ....and that there is an outfall that comes from New York and drains into these areas off of the Jersey coast....come on...they is no outfall that extends from NYC to New Jersey waters... what..? Is there a pipe pumping poo through the middle of the Ambrose Channel??...nope. There is a long sanitary sewer outfall that extends 2 miles off of Jones Beach, but that is 15 miles away. You should be more concerned with the outfalls off of Sea Bright and Long Branch and Elberon and Deal and Asbury and Point Beach and Mantoloking...but you shouldn't even be worried about this..the sanitary sewer crap gets run through 2nd-ary and tertiary clean up process..some Utility Authorities claim you can drink their tertiary stuff (although I won't volunteer for that). Did you know that we ALL swim in Prohibited waters from Mantoloking to Sandy Hook? Guess not; where is that lawsuit?? What you should be concerned with is that these prohibited shellfishing waters from Mantoloking to Sandy Hook (and ALL over NJ) are from you and me....oil from cars, over fertilizing your lawns, excessively feeding wildlife and them crapping that food out, other animal feces running off, poor sediment erosion control at construction sites adjacent to waterways and storm sewers, storm water outfalls in the surf zone (spewing this stuff out), runoff from horse farms/tracks, sanitary water outfalls spewing untreated material offshore during system failure, coastal lakes (which are now essentially storm water retention basins now because of all the development) draining into the ocean; essentially poorly-planned and overcrowded development...so what I am saying is you already are and have for a long time swam/surfed/etc. and sunbathed in/on this garbage FOR years...
What you guys are also neglecting to tell everyone too, is that you rallied for these beach nourishment projects to be changed, if they weren't gonna be eliminated...to get rid of that linear beach design..something innovative. And they did without costing the taxpayers a ton more money and that won't negatively affect the shore protection features of the project... They have designed (with the aid of the local surfers) a sand 'point break' as an experiment...if it works, it could be implemented on other projects. And while it is sand and sand does erode, the offset in the beach could provide different bars than what we have seen after some of these projects...they could provide a taper or an offset that could be better. We will have to just wait and see... Other things are in the works too...other innovative designs...just do some research and you will see that the surfers cries have been heard and that there are people working on these projects that want to help...and that understand the concerns...and that are pushing for it. Some people fighting the fight have burned some bridges that they shouldn't have...the people that were on other side...they used the wrong tact and have made us look bad....but it isn't too late..
Good Point U.S. tries different beach-replenishment approach in Long Branch, NJ - October 07, 2008 - The Army Corps of Engineers plans to test an experimental beach replenishment project next month in Long Branch that may draw rare approval from surfers. Surfers often object to beach replenishment programs, saying they cause waves to break too close to the shore to ride. But this one might be different. The government said it will set up a "feeder beach" away from the shoreline with the idea that sand will erode from it onto the main beach. The feeder beach should also make the waves break farther out to sea.
Artificial Reef off LB, NJ Haven't heard anything lately. Back in Aug 2005, the Surfer's Environmental Alliance (SEA) issued a Request for Proposals to firms around the world for the design of an artificial wave producing reef to be located near Seven Presidents Park, North Long Branch.
if they set up the feeder beach the way they say theyre going to do it(in a point break type of design..) this could really help surfers..but is the feeder beach just at west end or r they hooking all lb beaches up with feeder beaches
I disagree. as good as it sounds, the "point" set up on a feeder beach made of sand would only last through a few major storms before it begins to reach an equalibrium with the surrounding area and the "point" is gone. Given that maintentance dredging is usually on a 3-5 year interval, the feeder beach set up will be absent most of the time. Still its great that they are willing to try it and hopefully im wrong. I think more attention should be given to grain size. Medium to finer grain size (like that used in OCMD or OCNJ) will form bars - maybe no point breaks, but at least a sandbar break after the pumped sand is reworked after a few good storms. Look at the difference between the OCMD breaks (medium fine borrow material gets surfable a few months after pumping) and Bethany/Dewey/Rehoboth (coarse grain sand that completely ruined the break). Plus the harsh shore pound created by the steep beachface with coarse grain sand is hazardous, so surfers have some allies in fighting that crap.
anyone know from what beach to what beach they're pumping. Theres also a pretty easy way to stop. Blow up the machines!!! Haha
