New Jersey denies North Wildwood's emergency bulkhead request
NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has denied North Wildwood's emergency authorization request to build a steel bulkhead along the city's shoreline in the wake of damaging winter storms.
Last week, the city announced that the NJDEP denied its request to build a bulkhead between the mid-block of 12th and 13th Avenues to 15th Avenue. The initial request for the proposed 752-foot bulkhead was submitted back in January, after storms on Jan. 9 and Jan. 14 caused "significant erosion to the beach berm and what was remaining of the dune system" in the area, the city said.
A 100-foot hole has formed in the dune system, and without additional shore protection, the city said in a statement that beach erosion could accelerate and place North Wildwood's infrastructure at "significant risk."
The NJDEP disagreed that there was an imminent need for the bulkhead, though the city said it plans to appeal the decision by filing an emergent motion in New Jersey's Appellate Division.
North Wildwood is already in a legal battle with New Jersey over unauthorized beach repairs that the state claims could actually make problems worse.