Backbay study area.
VENTNOR - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are hosting public meetings regarding the New Jersey Back Bays Flood Risk Management study 6-8 p.m.Sept 12 at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex, 400 N. Lafayette Ave. A second meeting will be held Sept.13 in Toms River.
The Army Corps, in partnership with NJDEP, is conducting a feasibility study for coastal storm risk management problems within the New Jersey Back Bay area, defined as the network of interconnected tidal water bodies located landward of the New Jersey ocean coastline in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Burlington, and Cape May Counties.
The study area includes approximately 950 square miles and nearly 3,400 miles of shoreline. The objective of the study is to investigate problems and solutions to reduce damages from coastal flooding that affects population, critical infrastructure, critical facilities, property, and ecosystems.
Some of the measures that will be discussed at the public meetings include structural solutions such as storm surge barriers, tide gates, levees, and floodwalls; non-structural solutions such as elevating homes; and nature-based features such as marsh restoration and the creation of living shorelines. The final plan may also include recommendations of actionable and policy implementable items such as floodplain management and Community Rating System enhancement opportunities.
The general public and other stakeholders are invited to attend the meetings to learn more about the study process and current status. In addition, the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the study and interact with project team members.
The second meeting will be held 6-8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Ocean County College Gateway Building, Lot 1, College Drive, Toms River.
