Storms Eroded One-Third Of Dunes, Toms River Officials Say

Toms River lost about one-third of its main dunes over the weekend due to the combined effects of the nor’easter that blew through and the waves generated by Hurricane Joaquin, officials said Monday.

In a post on the township’s Facebook page, officials said 200 loads of sand were brought in over the weekend to shore up the dunes. And while the surf remains heavy -- ”We are still experiencing 9- to 11-foot-high waves,” the post said -- contractor Earle Asphalt is working to fill in sand around the Block House foundation, where a small breach occurred Saturday, as well as on the beach where Joey Harrison’s Surf Club once stood, by the Golden Gull and “any other vulnerable areas.”

The oncoming high tide at 2 p.m. could force crews to stop working for the day, the statement noted.

“As soon as the waves subsice we will start importing sand again, most likely Tuesday morning,” the statement said.

Officials estimated the wave action from the nor’easter and Hurricane Joaquin has eroded about one-third of the main dunes, on the frontal slope.

“The beach is wide enough to work on but it is about 4 feet lower than prior to the nor’easter,” according to the statement.

The last high tide also caused minor damage to the bottom of the walkover at 3rd Avenue, it said, “but it is clear all of the work we did putting in a secondary sand berm and scarping sand, which created a sand bar that slowed the surf, provided protection to the main dune and property.”

The emergency sand is funded through a $1million grant the township received from DEP for these situations, officials have said.

(Photos by Toms River Township)