By Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press
POINT PLEASANT BEACH – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredge boat Murden has vacuumed up about 20,000 cubic yards of sand out of the Manasquan Inlet so far as it works to dig out the dangerous shoal that formed this summer.
That converts to about 64 million pounds of wet sand removed from the inlet since the work began in earnest this past weekend. The job is not complete, so the final total figures to be higher once the shoal is completely removed.
The Murden, which is a 156-foot split hull hopper dredge, has a capacity of 500 cubic yards, said Army Corps’ Philadelphia District spokesperson Stephen Rochette. However, for ease of transport, they’re only filling it up with 400 cubic yards of sand per cycle.
The sand is being deposited just offshore of Manasquan’s Riddle Way beach, which is four beaches north of the inlet. Rochette said they chose that spot because it’s relatively close to the inlet for quick transport, and secondly because the sand drifts north from there, so it supports Manasquan beaches without going back into the inlet. Lastly, it is within the ‘depth of closure,’ meaning it’s within the zone that will eventually migrate toward the beach.
How we got here:Army Corps will stay and complete dredging Manasquan Inlet’s dangerous shoal
Rochette said if they place the sand outside the ‘depth of closure,” it basically won’t reach the beach.
The Army Corps received several calls for help from stakeholders, including U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., after the shoaling in the Manasquan Inlet returned to the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet for the second time in three years. The last time was 2022.
Fishing boat captains who use the inlet daily to leave the Manasquan River and enter the Atlantic Ocean said the shoal was the worst it has ever been.
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