Posted on April 24, 2018
By Taylor Lumpkin, WMDT
A main supply used in Ocean City’s beach replenishment project is running out. Now, officials say they’re weighing their options and looking into *outside resources* to preserve this important program, that’s prevented more than $900 million in storm damage.
“We’ve used those areas so until they build up again they’re looking for additional areas,” said Mayor of Ocean City Rick Meehan.
It’s been four months since Ocean City’s beach replenishment project was completed, but officials are now working to prepare for the next phase in 2020.
“We have exhausted our most recent borrow area of sand and so the next time we do a re-nourishment we’ll be looking to go to another borrow area,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District Spokesman Chris Gardner.
After the most recent beach replenishment was completed in December of 2017, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers posted a public notice saying the project had exhausted sand from nearby offshore shoals in state waters, and that they’re now looking for other sources.
“It’s not like we’re going to be taking in from another state it really is just more or less we’re just going to be going a little bit further out,” said Gardner.
Officials say now they’re evaluating several possible sand sources for the next replenishment in federal waters just outside the state waters boundary.
“They’ll be different things but they’ll be able to work around it. I don’t have any doubts that we’ll be able to locate the areas and there’s enough different areas out there they’ll locate something that will be compatible with this project,” said Meehan.
“It’s not as though we’ve run out of sand and we’re trying to scramble to find new sources, we have sources lined up we just have to do our due diligence every so often and make sure they’re still suitable,” said Gardner.
Gardner adds that there’s no cause for concern–and that it’s the perfect time to look for other sources.
They simply want to make sure they’re prepared for the next re-nourishment process to come.
Officials say they’ll only use those federal waters as long as it will not have an impact on habitat or fishing activity.
The next replenishment in Ocean City is scheduled for 2022 excluding any storms or events that may speed up the process.
Source: WMDT
