The long-awaited dredging of Shark River in Monmouth County finally will become a reality following the New Jersey Department of Transportation's announcement that it has awarded a $7.6 million contract for the project.

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Mobile Pumping & Dredging Company in Chester, Pennsylvania one the bid, almost three years after Super Storm Sandy added to the sediment already clogging the channels, according to Neptune Township Committeeman Randy Bishop.

"Sandy was just really an exacerbation of an existing problem that was in the Shark River, which is the silting of the navigational channels. We in Neptune Township, along with many of the mayors along the river, have been working to get these navigational channels dredged for really about 17 years," said Bishop.

Sandy increased the silt already in the river by an estimated 30 percent, according to Bishop, making the channels unnavigable during low tide.

"It has a tremendous economic impact both on the recreational boating for marinas that are located west of the [Route] 71 bridge. It also had a tremendous impact on the shell fish industry, because the river by nature could not cleanse itself. It had an impact on recreational boaters and property values," Bishop said. He pointed out those have been the arguments officials have utilized for years to try to work with the state in making this a priority project.

Bishop, Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone and New Jersey state Senator Jennifer Beck (R-11), worked together in a bipartisan fashion with every state, county and local stakeholder to convince the state to make the project happen.

The state is investing more than $5 million in the dredging project with the county also paying a portion of the cost. Surrounding municipalities have given preliminary approval to chip in as well, according to Bishop.

"We in Neptune Township are pledging $450,000, and we do have some of the largest exposure along the river," Bishop said.

Bishop said Neptune would bond a portion of the cost and is looking into using money that may be left over in Green Acres ordinances, ordinances that are related to the dredging, and its Marina Utility. Bishop also pointed out Neptune might consider seeking reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) once the dredging is complete.

Taxpayers could be responsible for a small portion of the cost, depending on how much Neptune bonds, however, Bishop noted, "Not having those navigational channels open, has a much more detrimental affect on property values, on some of the reasons that people bought along the river, so that really it's not a cost as much, I would tell you it's an investment, to try to get the river open, and the belief that opening those channels will start allowing the river to heal itself."

Bishop added that once the dredging project is complete, officials would have to continue to push for Shark River to be placed on a regular maintenance schedule, which he said should have already been in place years ago to avoid the current situation. Under New Jersey law, it's the state's responsibility to keep the navigational channels clear, according to Bishop.

The dredging process is expected to be a faster than what traditionally takes place and one that utilizes very little storage, Bishop noted. "And this will be used for cap at the county landfill, because they actually have to cap the landfill every day with material," he added.

Bishop said the project could begin this Fall and takes 100 working days to complete. "But there are limits as to the amount of time that you can dredge the river, and that is determined by the U.S. Marine Fisheries. So, it will probably be done in two dredge cycles to do the entire project," he said, due to habitats of fish spawning.

106,000 cubic yards of material will be dredged.

 

 

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