Concerns grow over beach erosion in parts of Atlantic City, NJ
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- As we get closer to another summer season, people at the Jersey shore have their sights set on the sand.
Specifically, the disappearing sand that is causing beaches to get smaller and smaller.
In parts of northern Atlantic City, waves are chipping away at the coastline and the dunes are dramatically diminished.
"Over this past fall and winter, we've had more storms. Some of our areas, known as 'erosion hotspots,' are not doing very well," said Kim McKenna, the interim executive director for Stockton University's Coastal Research Center.
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McKenna says she has been studying the recent changes in Atlantic City's coastline for 20 years.
"Things change all the time, depending on the waves, the currents and the weather. We need to protect all parts of the beach -- from the dunes to the big beach to actually offshore too," said McKenna. "Beach nourishment really does help protect the coast."
Several sand replenishment projects are underway throughout various shore towns where crews are working to reverse the damage.
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Executives at casinos in Atlantic City are calling on the state and federal government to help repair portions of their beaches before the big summer rush.
They want the process expedited, but the Army Corps of Engineers says the earliest it could happen is late summer.
"They gotta do something to bring this back," said Woode Faunce, from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. "It used to go all the way out to the Ferris wheel, the sand, now it's all gone."
