A major beach replenishment project for the Wildwoods has collapsed after years of planning because two towns refused to share their sand.
The plan, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, would have moved sand from the wide beaches of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest to rebuild the badly eroded shoreline in North Wildwood. But both communities have since pulled their support, saying the project risked damaging their dunes and changing natural wave patterns.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has officially suspended the $54 million dollar project and said federal funds will be redirected elsewhere. DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette called it an “impasse” after years of costly work and failed negotiations.
North Wildwood’s mayor blasted the decision and threatened legal action.
Officials in Wildwood Crest argued the plan wasn’t sustainable and could have caused new problems to existing dunes. It is another setback for the shore which this year did not receive new federal funding for beach replenishment projects. North Wildwood and the entire Five-Mile Island region have sustained damages to their beaches after Hurricane Erin and other fall storms.
