Massive sandbar forms along Jersey Shore inlet. Local officials are concerned.
August 6, 2024
Local officials have growing concern over a large sandbar, also known as a shoal, that has formed in the Manasquan Inlet.
Video and photos show the sandbar is on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the waterway and it appears to be about half as long as the inlet itself.
“I am aware of the sand shoaling on the south side of the inside of the Manasquan Inlet due in large part to the southerly wind we’ve been having,” Point Beach Mayor Doug Vitale wrote on his Facebook page. “I trust the U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring and will ensure safety of the Inlet. I am monitoring the situation as well and understand the gravity of the situation: safety, navigability, and the blockage it causes for our fishing industry.”
The Coast Guard also announced Monday it, too, was aware of the inlet and asked boaters to be cautious.
“We urge all mariners to transit the inlet with caution, and remind everyone not to enter the water inside of the jetties or leave the rocks to traverse the shoal,” the Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet/Shark said in a statement. “We are monitoring the situation and request all courtesies towards vessels working in the inlet as they begin dredging operations in the coming days.”
Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., said Monday he has sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking them to take “immediate action” to rectify the situation.
“The build-up of sand on the Point Pleasant side of the inlet against the jetty has reached unprecedented proportions,” Smith said. “This is not only a grounding hazard to vessels, but the waves created inside the inlet as a result of this shoaling are enough to capsize boats that regularly traverse the channel.”
Smith noted the Army Corps was scheduled to perform maintenance dredging on the inlet this week before a mechanical failure postponed that operation for two weeks. He emphasized “this new development calls for a more urgent response, especially during this busiest boating time of the year on the Jersey Shore.”
“Based on these concerns and understanding that the safety and viability of recreational, for-hire and commercial vessels is of utmost importance, especially during these last few weeks of summer when inlet traffic is at its peak, I respectfully request that the Army Corps take immediate corrective action to mitigate this dangerous navigational hazard,” Smith said.
A spokesman from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it was working to obtain hydrographic surveys of the current inlet conditions. Once they were completed, they would be posted online for mariners to access and would be shared with the Coast Guard.
The Corps’ dredging operation was slated to begin later this month, he confirmed. But some of that work could begin early this week, depending on weather and sea conditions, the spokesman added.
https://www.nj.com/ocean/2024/08/massive-sandbar-forms-along-jersey-shore-inlet-local-officials-are-concerned.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawFeULxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeG6U1xo0r10yh8NbgSvQQCipYp85RMDs__wmprTYAdEhQJjW88uLC60iA_aem_PmDQeTbFH4HBV9F3VUIObQ
