NJ Restoration: Reviving Little Egg Harbor’s Beaches

March 13, 2024

Amidst this historical backdrop, nestled on the picturesque New Jersey shoreline, Little Egg Harbor’s Mystic and Parkertown beaches have long been cherished by locals and visitors alike. However, in recent years, these once-expansive sandy havens have faced a relentless challenge — coastal erosion, so a comprehensive restoration project became necessary as the tides encroached and shorelines diminished.

Little Egg Harbor sought to restore these beloved beaches to their 1977 shorelines, a pivotal undertaking to improve marine habitats, safeguard uplands, and mitigate wave attenuation. Stevens Institute of Technology conducted comprehensive erosion studies and wave analyses to address these challenges. The goal was to recommend effective restoration measures, culminating in the design of breakwaters and jetties at both locations, a collaborative effort involving both New Jersey Institute of Technology and T&M Associates. These strategically positioned structures would work to stabilize the sandy shorelines, curbing the relentless erosion that had plagued these beaches for years.

The project to restore Mystic and Parkertown beaches are just the recent example of the township’s commitment to coastal resiliency and restoration. In 2019, Little Egg Harbor Township launched a transformative project to enhance coastal resiliency and restoration along Iowa Court and South Green Street. These shore communities had endured significant damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012, necessitating a long-term solution to reduce risk and vulnerability. The innovative concept of a living shoreline was embraced, aiming to eliminate shoreline erosion, restore beaches, marshes, and wildlife habitats, protect adjacent properties, and preserve roadway infrastructure.

Read about the sustainability and habitat restoration, and transformation and coastal resiliency in ‘Reviving Little Egg Harbor’s beaches: A story of erosion, restoration & resilience‘ in NJ Municipalities Magazine, cowritten by Jason Worth, Operations Manager – Toms River, and Rodney Haines, CFO and Township Administrator for Little Egg Harbor.