In Brick, beaches that were once decimated by the power of the ocean even during small coastal storms, are standing strong.
The summer’s beach replenishment project has already paid off in the township, as the dunes at Brick Beach III, Brick Beach I and the Normandy Beach section remain intact. The tide came up near the dune line in many locations, but the gigantic sand berms did not budge and there was no erosion evident during a walk along the beach afterward.
There was some debris, and plenty of dense fog, but the protective dune did its job. Just months ago, the entirety of Brick’s oceanfront was battered by storms and riddled with damage left by Superstorm Sandy six years ago.
Now, where a sea wall was once exposed in nearly every coastal storm, 22-feet of dunes have relegated the wall to the last resort for which it was originally designed.
In Normandy Beach, instead of cliffs having been carved out of the beachfront, paths down the sand remain as they were beforehand – perhaps still inviting to some residents celebrating Local Summer, that is, if the sun ever comes out.
The beaches have been replenished from the Brick-Toms River border in Normandy to the northern border with Mantoloking. Replenishment work island-wide is currently stalled due to rough seas, but crews will return soon to Lyman Avenue in Mantoloking to continue the second portion of that town’s replenishment, and North Beaches of Toms River, which includes the remainder of Normandy Beach.
For Shore, I’m Daniel Nee.
