Stone Harbor/Avalon Beach Fill Update – February 2, 2017

Officials from Avalon and Stone Harbor attended the weekly progress meeting for the upcoming beach fill project at the Stone Harbor Firehouse on Thursday, February 2^nd.   In attendance from Stone Harbor were Council President Karen Lane, Council members Joselyn Rich and Ray Parzych, Business Administrator Jill Gougher, Public Works Director Grant Russ, and Engineer Marc DiBlasio. In attendance from Avalon were Business Administrator Scott Wahl and Engineer Steve Morey from Mott MacDonald. Representatives from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC were also in attendance.

The dredge “Texas” will be finishing up some emergency work in the Christiana River likely by Sunday, February 5^th. Once that work is completed, the “Texas” will make its way to Hereford Inlet near Stone Harbor to begin the actual beach fill work. The anticipated start date of the actual dredging is February 12^th, 2017. The project will begin in Stone Harbor and pump sand from Hereford Inlet from the south end of Stone Harbor to 105^th Street. Then, the dredge will be mobilized to Townsend’s Inlet to conduct a major beach fill project in Avalon anticipated to run from 9^th Street to the northern limits of 38^th Street.

Stone Harbor’s initial portion of the project is anticipated to place 390,000 cubic yards of sand on the Borough’s beachfront. Some additional federal emergency funding is likely going to be awarded that will be placed on the northern Stone Harbor beaches from 80^th Street to 105th, along with Avalon’s beaches from 76^th Street to 80^th Street. That will occur after the major Avalon beach fill and is dependent on a reasonable quote from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company; a quote for the work is expected in the coming days and will be presented to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. If awarded that would place an additional 320,00 cubic yards of sand on Stone harbor Beaches.

A significant amount of heavy equipment will be arriving over the next couple of weeks, including the “Texas”. A crew boat called “Swift Runner” will be arriving in Stone Harbor in the next few days. Various bulldozers, excavators, anchor barges, etc. are arriving in Stone Harbor for the project. When Avalon’s portion of the project begins, the likely staging areas for equipment will be near the 8^th Street Jetty on the beach, and some equipment may be stored at the vehicular beach access path at 32^nd Street, on the beach. Avalon has asked Great Lakes not to use the northerly parking lot on the north side of Community Hall since it was recently repaved.

Approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be removed from Townsend’s Inlet during this project, with much of the sand being dedicated to the Avalon portion of the project, and the remaining sand to be used for the northerly limits of Stone Harbor’s beach fill. There is adequate sand in Townsend’s Inlet to complete all of these projects.

Various surveys and required documents have been completed to prepare this beach fill for launch. Surveys have been taken of the beaches following the nor’easter that visited both communities early last week. 

Stone Harbor/Avalon Beach Fill Project Update January 26, 2017

Representatives from Avalon and Stone Harbor attended the weekly beach fill progress meeting on Thursday, January 26^th, at the Stone Harbor firehouse. In attendance from Stone Harbor were Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour, Councilwoman Joselyn Rich, and Business Administrator Jill Gougher. Among those in attendance from Avalon were Councilman James Deever, Business Administrator Scott Wahl, and Engineer Tom Thornton.

The United State Army Corps of Engineers announced that the tentative start date of sand being dredged from Hereford Inlet onto Stone Harbor’s beaches is expected to begin on or about February 7^th. The dredge “Texas” from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company is currently in the Philadelphia area and was not able to come to the Jersey Shore this week due to rough seas created by Monday’s coastal storm event. The “Texas” is expected to perform about one week worth of emergency dredge work in the Christiana River near Wilmington before coming to the 7 Mile Beach for the project. In advance of the dredge’s arrival, various heavy equipment has already been mobilized to both communities. Approximately 4,000 additional feet of pipe is expected to arrive in Stone Harbor for the project.

Stone Harbor’s beach fill will begin first, with Avalon’s beach fill being conducted after Stone Harbor. It will take approximately 28 days to complete Stone Harbor’s portion of the project. It is anticipated that FCCE money will be applied to both Avalon and Stone Harbor. If applied, this will result in 390,000 cubic yards of sand being placed on Stone Harbor beaches from 80^th Street to the terminal groin in order to restore the beachfront to the federal template. The Avalon portion of the project will take approximately 37 days; dredging is often interrupted due to rough seas and any mechanical issues with the dredge. It is anticipated that Avalon’s major portion of the beach fill will begin in early to mid March.

This project is a partnership between the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the Boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor.