NJ Folks: ACOE Elberon to Loch Arbour Project

If you have been paying attention to the Choopy Facebook page, then you have been forced to read my constant ranting on about the proposed notching of 6 groins (jetties) and replenishment of the beaches. While I don't usually state my opinion about most things unless asked (or you leave the window slightly open), I am going to rant for a minute here.

Before I start, you can here is the link to read the ACOE plan 

Basically, this project doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You have the last portion of Monmouth County (jetty county) that the ACOE has not screwed up. Tons of habitat for crabs, tog, sea bass, fluke, stripers, juvenile fin fish and bait fish will be destroyed. And if you think it will only hurt the inshore surf fishing, just wait until the sand migrates offshore to the Deal Rocks, Shrewsbury Rocks, and every other bit of structure that you fluke, seabass and tog fisherman love to fish is now covered with sand.

The notched jetties and additional sand on the beach will not stop another storm surge. Perhaps even make it worse. Its an experiment that hasn't worked. Spring Lake certainly didn't benefit from notching the jetties in the 1990's.

This area is a natural coastal bluff. Entirely unique to the state of NJ. Its never had a big sand beach. Why impose a new environment here? If the excuse is to withstand storm surges, etc, then I think that reasoning is completely faulty. This area actually faired the best during Sandy and took minimal damage from a storm surge, compared to other areas of the coast line,

Lets use some common sense here. If you have to contract out a project for a 32 year term, and the work has to be redone every 6 years, aren't you proposing a pretty flawed plan?  I think most people would support a long term solution that had clear and specific goals that had sensible solutions, like adding T's to the end of the existing jetties to create breakwaters or inshore reefs. The current plan from the ACOE just doesn't add up, well unless you get the ACOE contract to do the work.

Lets take a look back in time and see what the ACOE did to ruin the Spring Lake and Sea Girt. This is what Elberon and Deal will look like next. Can anyone explain how this is a good thing for anyone?

I would like to thank a few organizations that are working towards stopping this ACOE plan from coming into fruition. I no particular order: The Deal Lake Commission, The Berkeley Striper Club, The Asbury Park Fishing Club, The Shark River Surf Anglers, The Bradley Beach Fishing Club, The Surfriders, the American Littoral Society and some of the fine folks on SOL (bido and Sudsy in particular) that are at the forefront of getting people aware and organized.

Now its time for us to act. If you haven't already, please write and call the following politicians and let them know you are opposed to this project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
New York District Planning Division-Environmental Branch
26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278-0090
(ATTN: Mr. Howard Ruben)

Project Biologist Howard Ruben
howard.ruben@usace.army.mil

Project Manager Jenifer E. Thalhauser
jenifer.e.thalhauser@usace.army.mil

Governor Chris Christie
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625

Congressman Frank Pallone (6th district and district in which you the project takes place)
https://pallone.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

504 Broadway

Long Branch, NJ 07740

Phone: (732) 571-1140

Congressman Chris Smith (Adjacent 4th district. Contact him if you live out of the 6th district, but in the 4th district)
http://chrissmith.house.gov/contact/zipauth.htm
Monmouth County Constituent Services Center
112 Village Center Drive, Second Floor*
Raintree Shopping Center
Freehold, NJ  07728
phone (732) 780-3035

Borough of Allenhurst
Mayor David J. McLaughlin
125 Corlies Avenue
Allenhurst, NJ 07711
(732) 531-2757


Mayor Morris Ades
Borough of Deal
P.O. Box 56,
Deal, NJ 07723
(732) 531-1455

We have until March 26th to have our voices heard. Please let yours be known! Make a call and write a letter. There are a few excellent letters on SOL in the NJ forum that you can use as a base to start from.