NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. (AP) — A decade-long dispute over the condition of a New Jersey beach resort that has involved tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits and fines could soon come to an end.
Patrick Rosenello, the mayor of North Wildwood, says his city has reached an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to drop claims on both sides and move forward with action to protect the community’s beaches, popular with tourists. the Philadelphia area.
The agreement, which will be voted on by the North Wildwood Council on Tuesday, would resolve any outstanding disputes between the parties, the Republican mayor said. The tentative timing of the replenishment is sometime in 2025, he said.
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The agreement includes canceling the $12 million New Jersey levied on North Wildwood for unauthorized beach repairs that the state says could actually worsen erosion. It also calls on the city to drop a lawsuit against the state seeking reimbursement for the $30 million the state spent over the past decade transporting sand for emergency repairs to eroded portions of the beach.
“We agreed that we will focus on protecting our beaches instead of suing each other,” Rosenello said Wednesday.
At the root of the dispute is the fact that North Wildwood is virtually the only Jersey Shore community that has not yet received a full beach nourishment project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Officials say difficulties in obtaining easements from affected property owners contributed to the delay.
In parts of North Wildwood, erosion had gotten so bad that protective sand dunes had been swept away, leaving homes and businesses vulnerable to flooding and wave damage in the event of a major storm. At one point in January, Rosenello posed for photos on the beach with what was left of a dune that barely reached his knees.
The state Department of Transportation implemented an interim replenishment project last summer after Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy called the erosion in North Wildwood “shocking.” Rosenello said the work has held up well in subsequent months.
The environment department declined to comment on the proposed agreement. Rosenello predicted it will be approved by the council and signed and sent to the state on Tuesday.
In addition to ending the lawsuit, North Wildwood will contribute $1 million toward the final cost of the federal beach nourishment project once it arrives in the city and deposit $700,000 into a state water pollution control fund, the mayor said.
The agreement also provides a clear regulatory pathway for North Wildwood to obtain the environmental permits it needs to undertake other coastal protection work, including the expansion of a seawall.
On several occasions, North Wildwood made emergency repairs, including constructing an earlier bulkhead without state approval. New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette warned the city in 2023 that unauthorized work could have more serious consequences if it continues, including possible loss of future coastal protection funding.
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