$19.5M Beach Replenishment Sand Collapses Into Ocean City Surf After Nor’easter

Waves cut beneath a tall sand scarp on the beach as fresh sand collapsed into the surf, with X user Zach Blum capturing the newly eroded shoreline.

The video shows a long eroded edge with waves continuing to carve into the sand while condos and houses stand behind the shoreline.

The scene came after Ocean City’s just-finished $19.5 million U.S. Army Corps beachfill project. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock pumped about 1.6 million cubic yards of sand from Great Egg Harbor Inlet onto Peck Beach, from the Seaview Road groin to about 11th or 12th Street.

Work began July 7, and the city said beachfill operations finished on the night of September 7, about two and a half weeks before the nor’easter hit.

The September 24 nor’easter brought high surf and coastal flood warnings, hitting the newly built berm and leaving fresh sand forming a steep scarp.

The project is the latest cycle of a beach nourishment program first built in 1992, with federal and New Jersey DEP funds covering most of the cost, including about 65% from federal funding.

Blum posted the video on September 24 with the line, “so much for that millions of dollar coastal replenishment project.” Officials treat periodic beach nourishment as expected maintenance rather than a one-time fix.