Avalon Beach Replenishment

Avalon approves $3M. beach replenishment
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Thursday, December 15, 2005

Updated: Thursday, December 15, 2005AVALON-Borough Council on Wednesday night approved $3 million for replenishing about three-quarters of a mile of beaches hit hard by storms and erosion.Avalon will borrow most of the money for work between Ninth and 18th streets - the northern end of the municipality.The beach fill, planned for completion about February, involves pumping 350,000 cubic yards of sand from Townsends Inlet and depositing it on beaches eroded by the ocean.The project originally called for twice that amount of sand but was scaled down to fit an existing state Department of Environmental Protection permit, which expires Feb. 13, said Tom Thornton of the engineering firm Hatch Mott MacDonald.But the DEP has said it will grant an emergency extension if work continues past then, Thornton said.Avalon officials also said they plan to truck thousands of tons of sand to areas where it is needed most, after the project is finished.An Army Corps of Engineers project replenished Avalon beaches in 2003. However, a recent study estimated that Avalon beaches from Eighth Street to 35th Street lost 1 million cubic yards of sand since then.Beaches have had a tough year.In the spring, northeasters struck near Memorial Day, creating sharp cliffs of sand and forcing Avalon to limit beach access during one of the busiest times of the year.In October, significant erosion damaged many beaches after the remnants of Hurricane Wilma.Borough officials have said they wanted to stock the beaches to protect Avalon from future storms.Also at Wednesday's meeting, the borough said it will hire Hatch Mott MacDonald for $3,200 to design a replacement for the Eighth Street public pier.The borough will replace the bulkhead there and will raise the pier. Avalon anticipates the project will cost $46,000.

To e-mail Brian Ianieri at The Press:BIanieri@pressofac.com