The Borough of Avalon will receive a major beach fill project in fall 2012. This renourishment project will be fully funded by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to restore beaches that were damaged by the August, 2011 arrival of Hurricane Irene along the New Jersey coastline.
The beach fill project is expected to occur between the 10th Street and 20th Street beaches.
“We have worked with the federal and state governments to secure this beach fill project for the north end of our community”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi . “ The timing of the beach fill comes at an ideal time, right before the start of the late fall and winter storm season. The beach fill will provide a greater level of protection for our community.”
This proposed emergency federal beach fill in Avalon will restore the beaches in these four blocks to pre-August 2011 conditions. The project calls for a base bid of 75,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed on the beach front between 10th Street and 20th Street where beach erosion occurred during Hurricane Irene. An alternate bid associated with the project could result in as much as 190,000 cubic yards of sand to be placed in this same area.
“ The first line of defense against any coastal storm is the beachfront,” Pagliughi said. “ This beach fill will ensure that the north end of Avalon has a greater level of protection in advance of the busy North Atlantic storm season .” This emergency beach fill project will also include neighboring Stone Harbor.
Before the summer, the Borough of Avalon financed a backpassing beach fill project that resulted in sand from the south end of the community being relocated to its point of origin in the north end of town. That project provided a protective and recreational beach in advance of the summer tourism season.
The Borough is also exploring the possibility of an additional beach nourishment operation in the coming months. The United States Army Corps of Engineers is planning on a hydraulic backpassing operation on the Avalon beachfront that would occur sometime after the Corps completes the hydraulic beach fill in the fall.
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Press Release, August 9, 2012