USA: Stone Harbor Beach Renourishment Resumes

Stone Harbor Beach Renourishment Resumes

Children who live and visit the Borough of Stone Harbor are grabbing their yellow hats and acting as official Honorary Inspectors for the Stone Harbor beach fill project that resumed on Wednesday afternoon, July 3rd.

The Borough is making free plastic hats available to children who are curious about the large beach nourishment project underway; each hat has a sticker that reads: “Stone Harbor. Stronger Then the Storm”.

This is a fun way to educate the children and families who visit Stone Harbor’s beaches about the overwhelming benefits of a beach fill project“, said Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters. “Children are curious and excited to see the fresh, new sand being pumped onto our beachfront and everyone in the Borough is delighted to talk to them about how and why a beach fill project occurs”.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers resumed a major beach fill project along the Stone Harbor beachfront on July 3. The project had been suspended for three weeks in June so a smaller beach fill project could be conducted in neighboring North Wildwood. Stone Harbor’s beach fill project will continue in a south to north direction 24 hours a day. seven days a week until it concludes later this month at the 80th Street border shared with Avalon.

“Residents and visitors are absolutely thrilled that Stone Harbor was able to successfully negotiate a complete reconstruction of our beachfront following hurricanes Sandy and Irene”, Mayor Walters said. “They appreciate the fact that this project will not only provide a large, recreational beachfront for years to come but also provide the first line of defense from our next coastal storm, not if, but when, it arrives”.

Norfolk Dredging of Norfolk, Virginia is the contractor for the beach fill project. To date, the project is approximately 50 percent completed. More than 700,000 cubic yards of sand is being places on the entire length of the Stone Harbor beachfront. Approximately 25 days of dredging operations remain; it is possible the beach fill project will conclude before the end of July.

During the July 4th holiday weekend, the project will advance to or near 96th Street. Norfolk Dredging will advance its operations north on the beach during the overnight/early morning hours to prevent interference with beachgoers. A special beach access path is also being constructed to allow for a safe direct or indirect path at the 96th Street beach.

All beaches in Stone Harbor will remain open for the duration of this project except for a maximum of 1,000 feet in the immediate construction area. When the project moves north on the beachfront, the beaches that had been closed for a day will be immediately re-opened to the public.

[mappress]

Press Release, July 4, 2013