Ocean City, Strathmere, Sea Isle City to get new beach sand

More than 9 miles of southern New Jersey beaches will be getting a touch-up next month, courtesy of the federal government.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will conduct supplemental sand pumping in Ocean City, Sea Isle City and the Strathmere section of Upper Township. The work is to repair damage from a storm that occurred just after the beaches had undergone a replenishment project in the fall.

The entire $15.8 million cost of the work will be borne by the federal government, as was the $57 million original replenishment project.

About 1 million cubic yards of sand will be pumped onto the beaches between January and April. The sand will be dredged from an inlet where extensive sand shoaling has made navigation difficult.

The Army Corps said it has renegotiated its contract with the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company to include the new work. It had just completed a major beach replenishment project in September when a storm hit days later and washed away about a quarter of the sand that had been pumped ashore, leaving shortened beaches and large cliff-like drop-offs.

Strathmere will get the first sand, followed by Sea Isle City, and the project will wrap up in Ocean City.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)