Long Beach Island Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project

In the debate over the Long Beach Island Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project there are two types of discussions:

“may-be’s and possible’s, and
reasonable probabilities.

The first category includes frequent statements with words such as:

“there might be steep drop-offs”,
“maybe the rip currents will get worse”,
“surfing could be hurt”,

along with misleading charts to “justify” the claim. Most of these claims have been refuted, some are potentially possible (although highly unlikely), but most importantly – none have been proved. Witness in the same ad put forth by the aforementioned group a dune and beach profile was included with a caption “steep drop of into water”. What the group fails to tell you is that, in the diagram they show, the horizontal axis is in “hundreds of feet” and the vertical axis is in “tens of feet”. Thus the slope shown actually extends ten feet into the water for each one foot of decline – a slope that is actually more gradual than currently exists in many areas!

In the second category, there is one overriding fact, and an irrefutable consequence – our island is eroding, sea levels are rising, and inactivity will lead to further loss of our beloved island. There is no question this will happen. The only variables that should concern us are how soon, how much at any one time, how high will the sea rise and how fast. Go down to Merivale and see that we just lost another four feet of beach and dunes this past weekend. Even a rise of three inches by the end of this century – one of the most conservative scientific estimates – will add up to ten times that in storm surges and spring tides. Ask the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, one of the nation’s top research facilities for sea levels, wave action and beach erosion.

There also is no question that those of us living by the ocean, full time or part time, are worried – at least those of us who are paying attention. We love our homes, our beaches, Beach Haven and LBI. But many do not want change, insisting “there are beach replenishment alternatives”.

Well, there aren’t. As it became apparent over the last 20 years that erosion and rising sea levels were not just anomalies, Stevens Institute, the Army Corps of Engineers, and others have proposed, implemented and reviewed various schemes to preserve beaches and land.

The head of a concrete company created, at his own expense, huge 4-ton blocks of concrete to sit just beyond the breakers, 6 feet underwater, where they would reduce wave force and channel backwash to release its sand in the surf rather than carry it away. With the DEP’s cooperation, the massive blocks were installed, but to no avail.

Engineers created what looked like 3-foot linked poker chips to be lined up on the beach at the high water mark, alternately canted toward and away from the ocean. These were tested at Steven’s state-of-the-art wave tank, but with no success.

Of the dozens of designs and devices developed and tried over the years, only one has proven to be effective: beach replenishment. By restoring beaches with sand - specifically with a slope into the water of about 100 feet to slow and mitigate wave action, backed by a solid dune line of at least 22 feet high - all parties agree to success. And success is not defined as permanency. Sand is supposed to travel by fluid dynamics and littoral action. Success is mitigating storm surges that cause devastation, preventing the disappearance of barrier islands.

Currently, many of our beaches do not have these known, necessary characteristics for safety and protection. As more sand is lost, and sea levels rise, Beach Haven and LBI will become more vulnerable. Whatever hesitations anyone may have, the bottom line is that without replenishing the sand, we lose our island. It’s that simple. It will not tomorrow, or by 2050 as some predict, but it will happen - and much more quickly if we get a Katrina-sized hurricane or a 1962-style nor’easter.

Speaking of Katrina, New Orleans was lost because of the inadequacy of its levees. The dunes are our levees. As to the argument that the bay rises too, that’s true. But it is a basin that drains – it does not inherently assault, chew, pummel or batter.

Most decisions are complicated – this one is not. The best case scenario is we replenish our beaches, add more as sand necessary and continue to enjoy Beach Haven and our homes. The worst case scenario is LBI and Beach Haven goes the way of Tucker’s Island, slipping beneath the waves to become a lesson for future generations. American philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it”; hopefully we will not be condemned.

There are no guarantees in life and nature most certainly is a stern and harsh teacher. To argue about alleged agendas and “what if’s” misses the point. Everything is secondary to the protection of the island, because all other arguments will be superfluous when homes begin to fall into the water and the island washes away. We must replenish our beaches to save Beach Haven and LBI. We must have access to the beaches to accomplish this – easements are essential! As a wise sage once said, “The Titanic is sinking. Are we going to argue about the seating arrangements in the lifeboats?”