erate dramatically, making a hash of calculations based on the historic
precedent. The Metro East Coast report, for instance, says that beach
erosion is likely to double by the 2020s, increase by a factor of 3 to 6
by the 2050s, and by a factor of up to 10 in the 2080s. Nonetheless,
Ciorra is triumphant. “I think we’ve been vindicated,” he says. The
project has exceeded our expectations. Our non-federal sponsors, the
state of New Jersey and the local towns, consider it a success and are
pleased with our performance.”
In places where beaches have disappeared, it is sometimes hard to
isolate a single culprit. Rising tides and severe storms, known global
warming effects, work together with the ravages of development that
stops only at the water’s edge. Scott L. Douglass, author of Saving
America’s Beachesand a professor at the University of South Alabama,
worked his way through college lifeguarding on the Jersey shore. Like
many beach experts, he worries about higher sea level, but he is also a
major critic of the erosion-promoting effects of jetties, seawalls, and
dredging. Human activity has removed “more than a billion cubic
yards of sand from the beaches of America, enough to fill a football
field over 100 miles high,” he points out.
Still, Douglass is relatively bullish on beach replenishment.
“Replenishment adds sand to the system,” he says. “It’s positive if done
correctly. But whether it’s a long-term answer is a good question. We
know that sea level has been rising at a rate of six inches per 100 years,
and our beaches have kept up with that. But will they be able to keep
up with the serious erosion problems caused by an increased rate?
There’s a lot of uncertainty.”
Because we know the tides will rise, Douglass says the smart thing
to do is “eliminate avoidable sand loss.” But that is a difficult concept
to embrace for homeowners facing the loss of their valuable real estate
to relentless tidal action. Jetties and seawalls doprotect owners’ prop-
erty with a temporary fix, but they also wreak havoc and steal sand
from their neighbors.
Development along the water’s edge is never-ending, pushed by the
rising tide of real estate prices. Tourism brings in $12 billion annually
to the New Jersey shore. In Sandy Hook, Bennett’s stand against beach
replenishment and unfettered development has put him at odds with
54 Jim Motavalli with Sherry Barnes