Beach Replenishment On Track For Toms River

Toms River's ocean beaches are still on track for a federally-funded replenishment project to begin this fall.

"As far as the DEP and the Army Corps are concerned, we are in a good position," said Paul Shives, township administrator.The project is contingent on the township – or state – obtaining easements voluntarily or through the eminent domain process for numerous properties along the oceanfront. The small slivers of land have been the subject of controversy as a few oceanfront residents have held out. Gov. Chris Christie has said all of the homeowners who do not sign easements will have them taken away through eminent domain proceedings.



The replenishment projects will build dunes in excess of 25-feet in height and beaches 200 feet wide. The protective dunes will prevent breaches and washovers like the ones that occurred during Superstorm Sandy which devastated communities such as Ortley Beach, officials have said.

Toms River has 40 easements to be voluntarily signed, Shives said. So far, township officials have 30 of them in hand.

"We’ll have them all by the time they’re ready to start," said Shives. "So far, we have not had to condemn any easements."

But if condemnation is needed, the township has hired an appraiser and other professionals who will help effectuate such a process.

"We’ve had an appraiser working on the balance of the easements, the 10 we don’t have," said Shives.

The replenishment project was originally announced by the Army Corps of Engineers to begin by the summer season, though it was ultimately pushed back to the fall. Shives said that the holdup, as far as the township has been notified, is due to agreements that have to be signed between the federal and state governments.

Recent rumors that the project has been put on hold are "patently false," Shives said.

Similarly, an Army Corps spokesman said such rumors are untrue and the project will proceed as scheduled.