New Jersey Sea Grant College Program Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation
NEW JERSEY SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM MANUAL FOR COASTAL HAZARD MITIGATION
Compiled by Thomas O. Herrington
2
PREFACE
New Jersey is often used as an example of a natural system gone awry. The unflattering term "New Jerseyization" was coined by a prominent scientist to describe a developed, eroding coast, where natural beaches have been replaced by engineering structures. This view may have been correct in the past, when seawalls and bulkheads replaced many of our beaches, but our beaches are being brought back by artificial nourishment projects. Hard protection structures are only one phase in the cycle of changes on a developed coast. Human efforts can help regenerate landforms and biota, providing we take a proactive approach to shore protection that accommodates a wide range of resource values. The preferred method of shore protection in New Jersey has changed from groins, to bulkheads and seawalls, to beach nourishment. Hard protection structures are less likely to be built in the future, but many structures still exist, and some new structures may have local usefulness. Accordingly, it is important to know how these structures function. It is also important to know that all protection strategies have usefulness, but they are not readily interchangeable at a given location. Beach nourishment can help restore lost natural values, but many municipalities have elected to grade and rake their nourished beaches, preventing them from evolving into topographically and biologically diverse natural environments. The large amount of sand scheduled to be pumped onto New Jersey beaches in the future represents an invaluable resource, but the full potential of nourishment will not be realized without addressing habitat improvement and nature-based tourism in addition to the goals of protection from erosion and flooding and provision of recreation space. A dune is another valuable natural resource that is often overlooked. Dunes provide protection from flooding and
Compiled by Thomas O. Herrington
2
PREFACE
New Jersey is often used as an example of a natural system gone awry. The unflattering term "New Jerseyization" was coined by a prominent scientist to describe a developed, eroding coast, where natural beaches have been replaced by engineering structures. This view may have been correct in the past, when seawalls and bulkheads replaced many of our beaches, but our beaches are being brought back by artificial nourishment projects. Hard protection structures are only one phase in the cycle of changes on a developed coast. Human efforts can help regenerate landforms and biota, providing we take a proactive approach to shore protection that accommodates a wide range of resource values. The preferred method of shore protection in New Jersey has changed from groins, to bulkheads and seawalls, to beach nourishment. Hard protection structures are less likely to be built in the future, but many structures still exist, and some new structures may have local usefulness. Accordingly, it is important to know how these structures function. It is also important to know that all protection strategies have usefulness, but they are not readily interchangeable at a given location. Beach nourishment can help restore lost natural values, but many municipalities have elected to grade and rake their nourished beaches, preventing them from evolving into topographically and biologically diverse natural environments. The large amount of sand scheduled to be pumped onto New Jersey beaches in the future represents an invaluable resource, but the full potential of nourishment will not be realized without addressing habitat improvement and nature-based tourism in addition to the goals of protection from erosion and flooding and provision of recreation space. A dune is another valuable natural resource that is often overlooked. Dunes provide protection from flooding and
References: 104 National Research Council (1987)