Dunes Carved Again In Ortley Beach As Ian Remnants Drench Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River Township officials were assessing damage and starting to address it in Ortley Beach on Thursday, where the remnants of Tropical Storm Ian chewed up the dunes.

The storm, which stalled over New Jersey for three days, drenching the area and causing flooding in low-lying areas throughout Ocean County, carved cliffs into the beach in Ortley, which has been a common occurrence in the last five years.

Nearly 8 inches of rain fell in Toms River from Friday night through Wednesday morning, according to community observer reports to the National Weather Service. Nearly half — 3.89 inches of rain — fell Sunday, according to the CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, Snow) observers.

The storm damage comes as Toms River officials — along with those from Point Pleasant Beach all the way to Berkeley Township — have approved agreements with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a round of beach renourishment.

The project, set to begin in early 2023 with an estimated cost of $60 million, aims primarily to address "hot spots" for damage and maintain the beach construction that was done to help mitigate the effects of a hurricane.

Ortley Beach has been one of those hot spots. Toms River has been faced with repairing the dunes nearly every year since the Army Corps completed the section of dunes in 2018, including spending more than $438,000 in 2021 for repairs from a February nor'easter and $250,000 at the start of the 2022 beach season after a Mother's Day nor'easter carved up part of the beach.

The costs of the 2023 Army Corps project are being split up, with the federal government paying $30 million and New Jersey and the affected towns paying the other $30 million. Ocean County officials are covering half of the $8 million that the affected towns were expected to pay. Read more: Ocean County To Pay Half Of Towns' $8M Beach Replenishment Bill

Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill and mayors of the other affected towns have been lobbying Gov. Phil Murphy, seeking to have the state pick up the remainder of the cost because of the impact on local budgets, noting that the beaches are open to and used by residents from all over the state.

Toms River has the highest cost at $1.95 million (Ocean County is picking up $975,000 of that cost) but has a bigger budget to spread the cost across. Bay Head, which has a $1.428 million bill, and Mantoloking, with a $1.29 million bill, face much more intense budget stress for the Army Corps project. (Ocean County is paying $714,000 for Bay Head and $645,000 for Mantoloking).

Sen. Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano of New Jersey's 10th District, which includes the affected towns, also have been urging Murphy to allocate funding to cover the towns' share, noting that the state has a record budget surplus over the last year.

"More than $1 billion of State revenue remains totally unallocated," the legislators said. "This is an opportunity for your administration to use this money to ensure that the Barrier Island of Ocean County be restored and protected from future storms."

"With hurricane season underway and the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaching, it is imperative that these coastal towns on the barrier island receive adequate protection from flooding and future environmental events," the legislators wrote.

Ortley Beach suffered the greatest damage between Monday and Wednesday. A photo provided Monday by Toms River officials showed only moderate effects compared with the cliffs captured Wednesday.