According to city officials, North Wildwood has agreed to a contract with Stockton University‘s Coastal Research Center for the purpose of sand “back-pathing.” As of April 5, a corrected contract amount about $140,000 was amended in a resolution from the March 21 council meeting. As the city continues to repair and replenish its north-end beaches, concerns for ecological impacts and costs are being addressed.
Dr. Stewart Farrell, Director of the Coastal Research Center, explained that eligibility for federal and state funds is awarded to a municipality if damages reach the standards of Category “G.” Farrell also said that the hydraulic pumps, already in place after 2009, were able to assist North Wildwood during the storms of 2011 and, later, after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. By pumping in the washed-out sand, sand was “recycled” in a new system called “back-pathing.”
Trucks, delivered to haul the pumped-in sand, could operate and complete the project for under $50,000, saving taxpayers and city funds of approximately $2 million. “It’s much more beneficial and cheaper,” said Farrell. Sand is hauled from Wildwood Crest and Wildwood; according to Farrell, sand that once buried Wildwood’s outfall pipes is removed and returned to the beaches of North Wildwood. Thus both municipalities benefit.