Engineered Shoreline Protection Case Study from the Jersey Shore

Shoreline protection is an important but confusing and costly endeavor for small municipalities. Which material should be used? What are the financial costs related to the project? What are the environmental impacts of the project? Can the project be permitted by the federal government and state government? These are some of the questions that every shoreline protection project must tackle. This paper details the process that Ocean City, New Jersey, went through to select a shoreline protection project for a vulnerable stretch of beaches on the north end of the island. The shore protection project was completed in the spring of 2011 almost 18 months prior to Hurricane Sandy. Ocean City is located south of Atlantic City and is 11 miles south of the landfall of the eye of Sandy. The paper will detail the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on the shoreline protection project.