Posted on September 17, 2025
For years, the New Jersey Coastal Alliance—an affiliation of hundreds of concerned organizations and citizens—has advocated for smarter, safer and more sustainable approaches to beach protection and replenishment.
The Army Corps has pumped enough sand on New Jersey’s beaches to build a wall 10 feet thick and 300 feet high stretching from Cape May to Sandy Hook at a cost of $3 billion. This has given us sinkholes that have killed people, sand cliffs as high as 15 feet, dangerous shorebreak waves, severe undertow, increased rip currents and devastation of coastal fish and wildlife. Our beaches have never been worse.
The methods are designed to pile up sand as cheaply and quickly as possible. This leads to rapid erosion and multiple dangers and doesn’t even follow state law. It has gotten so bad that lifeguards produced a video cautioning beachgoers about replenished beaches. The number of recent drownings should serve as a stark warning.
Keep in mind that most of the damage from coastal storms comes from back bay and river flooding. Piling sand on an ocean beach does nothing to prevent that. This sand is designed to protect coastal mansions, many owned by corporations and out-of-state residents.
The high cost has led coastal towns to illegally gouge beach-goers. Parking rates run as high as $5 an hour in Monmouth Beach for a beach without lifeguards. Promised parking in Deal, exchanged for free sand, was later eliminated. In town after town we find problems.
We can’t go on repeating the mistakes of the past. Current beach replenishment has proven expensive, unsafe, environmentally harmful and often ineffective. Despite our own long-standing recommendations, these projects continue to ignore state law and best practices.
We advocate for modern beach restoration techniques that:
– Mimic natural shorelines with gentle slopes and offshore sandbars
– Prevent dangerous sand cliff “scarping” caused by steep, artificial profiles
– Reduce hazardous waves and currents
– Enhance habitat for marine and coastal wildlife
– Extend the lifespan of replenished beaches, reducing long-term costs
These techniques are used routinely around the world—and have even been tested with positive results right here in New Jersey.
The people of New Jersey—and the millions of visitors who enjoy our coast each year—deserve beaches that are safer, resilient, and environmentally sound. Let’s stop wasting money and start building smarter. The time is now.
