Toms River will be able to better protect itself from future storms while awaiting for the much-delayed Army Corps of Engineers Beach Replenishment project to be completed, thanks to a $1 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). 

Sandy damage in Ortley Beach
Sandy damage in Ortley Beach (Township of Toms River)
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Paul J. Shives, Township Administrator, told the Asbury Park Press Toms River will be able to receive reimbursement from the state if the municipality has to buy more sand to pad the beach due to erosion from storms.

Two storms over the winter severely eroded the coast in Ortley Beach and northern communities, forcing the Toms River to spend nearly $1 million to build the beaches back up.

The DEP grant comes on the heels of the Township Council criticizing the state agency for the delayed federal beach replenishment project. That project is supposed to add 22-foot dunes and expand beaches between the Manasquan and Barnegat Inlets.

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