Are New Jersey Beaches Disappearing Due To Terrible Beach Erosion

Beach erosion is a growing problem here in the Garden State. We are seeing more of our beautiful beaches at the Jersey Shore disappearing due to severe beach erosion. What exactly is beach erosion? According to Climate.gov, "Coastal erosion is the process by which local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast."

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Unsplash.com Martin Finnucane

According to an article from NJ.com, erosion is a problem for us in New Jersey and beaches along the Jersey Shore are seeing some problems from erosion. "With just weeks to go before the Jersey Shore gets her season in the limelight, several towns are sounding the alarm for sand — pleading for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize their particular piece of the puzzle."

What Jersey Shore Towns Are In Need Of Beach Replenishment?

According to Nj.com "Jersey Shore towns — Brigantine, Brick, and Atlantic City — are currently jockeying for federal and state planners to expedite work to refill their beaches before the spring ends."

According to FOX News 29 Philadelphia, "Atlantic City, Ocean City, and North Wildwood" are experiencing major beach erosion problems. There are other towns up and down the Jersey Shore that are in need of replenishment as we head into summer 2024. Other towns who have had erosion problems in the past include "Sea Isle City, Strathmere, Holgate, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, and Ortley Beach" (according to NJ.com reports in 2023)

How Do We Solve Beach Erosion?

According to FEMA.gov, there are several ways to help protect against "beach erosion". "By planting beach-friendly vegetation along your property you can help prevent sand from being carried off by waves. LIVING SHORELINES Living shorelines stabilize a shore by combining living components, such as plants, with structural elements, such as seawalls."

New Jersey definitely depends on having fantastic beaches because nearly 50 million people a year flock to our beautiful New Jersey beaches every summer so this is a problem that needs answers and fixing.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

Gallery Credit: Peter Richman