By Lauren Wanko
NJ Today
Ortley Beach looked much different before Hurricane Sandy hit.
“We typically had about a 50- to maybe 60-foot beach in the summertime,” said Toms River Township Engineer Robert Chankalian.
That all changed after the superstorm hammered this Ocean County community. Debris piles mark the high tide line.
“After the storm, we’ve never seen it like this before. The waves literally are crashing right at the tow of the dune at high tide. At the high tide, we essentially have no beach at all,” Chankalian said.
“Sandy really took a lot of sand away from our beaches. All of the streets here in Ortley Beach, for example had about three feet of sand accumulated on them and that all came from the ocean and from the beach,” Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher said.
Chankalian thinks the Army Corps of Engineers dune and beach replenishment project should be a top priority.
“They’re gonna come in and basically create, they’re gonna use hydraulic dredges and pump sand from pre-determined areas and basically create almost 200 feet of land And what that’ll do is it will allow them to create a wider, thicker dune and then provide at a minimum a 100-foot deep beach,” Chankalian said.
Two weeks after Sandy hit, Toms River Township built the temporary sand dunes. Crews brought in 60,000 cubic yards of sand. The township is hoping FEMA will reimburse them for the $1.6 million project. They will maintain these dunes throughout the summer.
Toms River Township needs to secure 32 easements from oceanfront residents and business owners. So far four have been signed.
“The Army Corps of Engineers will not do the job unless the easements are in hand,” Kelaher said.
“As we can see here, the waves are breaking at low tide only 20 feet from where the dune ends at a private property, which leaves the road behind it in a pretty much vulnerable state,” Chankalian said.
Chankalian says when it comes to protecting the community, a wide beach is just as important as the dune system.
“A dune isn’t just the barrier that protects the land behind it. The beach does a lot,” Chankalian said. “That gradual slope is what breaks the waves, dissipates a lot of the energy and then it runs up the dune.”
The beach is also an economic engine for Toms River. Businesses count on a busy summer season.
“If there aren’t any beaches or they’re not adequate to accommodate the tourists, they’re not gonna come,” Kelaher said.
The township is redoubling its efforts to obtain the signed easements to ensure the Army Corps can begin the project.