More on Avalon Beaches

Avalon speeds sands of time
Borough bypasses federal budget for quicker beach replenishment
By MICHAEL PRITCHARD Staff Writer, (609) 272-7256
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Monday, January 30, 2006
Updated: Monday, January 30, 2006

When Harry deButts, Public Works director for Avalon, looks out on Absecon Inlet in Atlantic County, he can see the answer to many of his problems. Sitting there is a dredger, currently pumping sand onto Brigantine's beaches as part of a $4.5 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beach replenishment project.

DeButts wants that dredger because his borough is about to start a $3 million beach replenishment project of their own, funded through a city bond ordinance.

“We've been trying to work a deal to get it to stop off our beach,” deButts said. “The availability of dredgers is very limited. There are only so many in the country and they're usually booked out years in advance. If we're not successful, though, we're ready to truck the sand in from other areas. We'll do what we have to do.”

The quick solution to deButts' problem might be to simply bring the corps into the project with their ability to book dredgers. The solution, however, is part of the problem. The corps already maintains the borough's replenishment project, but in order to move quickly, borough officials decided to bypass the corps and, more importantly, the federal budget process.

Although the past several presidential administrations have often cut funds for beach replenishment, the current administration has been more than stingy. When President Bush sends his proposed federal budget to Congress next month, it is unlikely to have one dime set aside for beach replenishment projects anywhere in the country.

That will set a host of congressmen in action as they look for money for replenishment projects — both new projects and maintenance of older projects — in other appropriations. And while Congress has often been willing to fund replenishment projects that the president will not, it makes for a long and complicated process.

It's a wait Avalon officials decided they couldn't afford because storms have cut deeply into borough beaches since its last replenishment — done by the corps — in 2003.

“We felt we had a problem with public safety that needed to be addressed, deButts said. “We need to do something. We can't afford to take the chance that funding might be there in the future. It's our responsibility so we decided to move ourselves.”

In southern New Jersey, however, there are more than a dozen beach replenishment projects under way. Most of those projects have been engineered by the corps and come with 50-year commitments for maintenance and periodic renourishment of sand.

But 50-year commitments aren't very reassuring when funding is up in the air every year.

“It does make for some consternation,” said Drew McCrosson, city administrator for Ventnor. “You know you have a commitment to the project, but securing the funding is an annual event that you can't be sure of. And there aren't a lot of alternatives available if that funding isn't there.”

Ventnor, along with Atlantic City, was part of a $25 million beach replenishment project started in 2003. That project is already scheduled for renourishment this year, although McCrosson feels realistically the city won't see any sand until at least 2007 considering the need for new projects along the country's storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.

It will be up to local congressmen, such as U.S. Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, and James Saxton, R-3rd, to secure funding for state projects. Both congressmen have been successful in securing funds projects in the past. LoBiondo was instrumental to securing funds for the Brigantine and Absecon projects, and Saxton recently secured funding for a $71 million project on Long Beach Island, to cite just a few examples.

But for the state's congressional delegation, each year they start from scratch.

“At the moment, we are funding these projects through add-ons to other appropriations,” said U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-8th, who serves on the Congressional Coastal Caucus. “Every year the president puts out his budget and there is no money for coastal beach replenishment because this administration doesn't believe in it. So every congressman has to go before the House and try to secure the funding for their projects.”

Making things worse is a lack of a dedicated funding source for replenishment projects.

“When you consider that these projects are spread out across the entire country, and usually with maintenance agreements covering 50 years, it's just not practical to fund them upfront,” said Jason Galanes, spokesman for LoBiondo. “The cost would be staggering and probably bankrupt the budget.”

Pallone also noted that setting a guaranteed tax source —such as how the federal gasoline tax funds transportation projects — is a long shot.

“To do that, realistically you need a national issue,” Pallone said. “Transportation is a national issue because every state has transportation projects. But shore replenishment is seen as a local issue and many people feel it is a waste of money. Even in New Jersey, the farther you get from the coast the less support there is.”

The federal government, however, is not the only source of funding for replenishment projects. Most replenishments projects are only funded by federal money as much as 65 percent. State and local funds generally cover the remaining 35 percent. That figure is then split, with 75 percent paid by the state Department of Environmental Protection and 25 percent by the local municipality.

But state funds can't maintain all of the projects going on in New Jersey or that are committed to 50-year maintenance. Corps officials say maintenance projects are given a higher priority than new projects because the corps tries to live up to their commitments, but at the moment its anyone's guess what will and won't be funded.

Except in Avalon, where the borough is paying for everything.

“It's an incredibly frustrating process,” deButts said. “Let me put it this way. We first started pushing for a replenishment project in the borough in 1987. We finally got it in 2000.”