$1.3M beach nourishment project to begin in Cape May County

The Lower Cape May Meadows area of Cape May Point is scheduled to receive a $1.3 million beach nourishment project that will redistribute excess sand and could create three sand islands to support bird habitats, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday.

The Lower Cape May Meadows project spans approximately 350 acres including Cape May Point State Park and the Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, according to an Army Corps of Engineers fact sheet on the project.

The Nature Conservancy’s Migratory Bird Refuge is behind the coastal dunes and is popular bird watching spot. The refuge is also a critical stop for migratory birds, according to the Nature Observancy.

The contract for the project was awarded to Agate Construction located in Egg Harbor Township and calls for pulling 88,000 cubic yards of sand from beach areas that have accumulated excess in recent years, officials said in a press release.

The Army Corps of Engineers also awarded a contract option to relocate 16,200 cubic yards of sand to create three islands for bird habitats in the beach area of South Cape May Meadows, the agency said.

The nourishment project is designed to reduce damage from coastal storms and protect fish and wildlife habitats in the wetlands, officials said.

“Redistributing sand will return the area to the design elevation and will also benefit beach nesting birds such as the piping plover and least terns,” officials said in the press release.

According to the Army Corps, eleven pairs of piping plovers nested in the area when it was originally built, but have not returned recently due to unsuitable nesting habitats.

The project calls for “backpassing” instead of dredging sand from offshore inlets and borrow areas, officials said. The process entails excavating excess sand from areas on the beach and redistributing it.

The nourishment project was given a notice to proceed in September by the Army Corps of Engineers and construction is expected to be completed before March 1, 2025.

The initial Lower Cape May Meadows-Cape May Point ecosystem restoration project was completed in 2007 and has been repaired and nourished over the years.