Severe post-Superstorm Sandy shoaling in Barnegat Bay’s Double Creek Inlet Channel has created a major navigation hazard and unsafe conditions in the waterway. To protect boaters, the N.J. Department of Transportation has closed the channel and removed navigational buoys from the area.
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| Photo by Pat Johnson The Mercan dredge navigates Barnegat Inlet as part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ project in March. |
Boaters may also reference U.S. Coast Pilot #3 for further information on the shifting sediments in the region. The Double Creek Channel remains marked from the inlet side to the fishing grounds (old buoy set 15 and 16) to permit boaters to fish the area.
The start of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar state channel dredging program will begin to repair New Jersey’s waterways that were affected by Sandy. As part of the preparation and engineering for the anticipated dredging of Double Creek Channel later this year, the DOT Office of Maritime Resources found excessive siltation and shifting sediments were severely distressing management efforts in the inlet area.
The department is working with the State Police Marine Services Bureau, Island Beach State Park officials and state and federal agencies to determine what priority dredging can and should take place as soon as possible. Dredge material placement in the area is restricted to protect vital bird nesting habitats. The priority dredging work is expected to be completed in phases.
To address post-Sandy dredging needs, the DOT is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Engineer Research and Development Center to coordinate inlet management and to establish a best channel and dredged material management plan. The DOT has recruited the support of the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center to provide professional guidance and examination of sand shifting in the inlet area.
–Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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