Update
http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2017/03/major_nj_inlet_to_be_cleared_of_dangerous_shoals.html#incart_river_homeMajor N.J. inlet to be dredged after becoming dangerously shallowA project to dredge the Little Egg Inlet has been expedited after the U.S. Coast Guard pulled channel markers this week and warned boaters that the area was dangerously shallow.
The inlet is a major thoroughfare for boat traffic between southern Long Beach Island and Brigantine, however, the build up of sand in the channel has gotten too severe for safe passage of boats, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The channel has become less than six feet below mean sea level in many places and the Coast Guard warned boaters that if they use the inlet, they would be doing so at their own risk.
"This situation has become critical so we are moving forward, using state money, to dredge the channel and make it safe again for everyone who needs this vital access for fishing and recreation," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a release. "We need to take action to get this channel dredged for the safety and enjoyment of the public this summer season."
Martin has directed the DEP's Division of Coastal Engineering to develop permit applications, design plans and contract specifications with the expectation of going out to bid for the multimillion-dollar project in April.
Approximately 1 million to 1.5 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged from the ocean side of the inlet in order to create a channel that is 25 feet below mean sea level. The Coast Guard-marked channel in this area has extended as far as a mile into the ocean, the DEP said.
The Little Egg Harbor Inlet - which connects the Little Egg Harbor portion of Barnegat Bay, Great Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway - is one of the widest ocean inlets in New Jersey and a federally marked waterway, but it has never been dredged, the DEP said.
The Coast Guard would instead use buoys to mark the deepest and safest natural route through the inlet each year, because the inlet's shoals constantly shift with the seasons.
The sand dredged from the inlet will be used on southern Long Beach Island beaches that have eroded since the completion of a major beach fill and dune project last year.
Rob Spahr may be reached at
rspahr@njadvancemedia.com.