REPORT

In a state surrounded by ocean, river
and bay, New Jersey coastal residents are
becoming keenly aware of full moon tides,
Nor’easters and impassable roadways.
Storm events create erosion and flooding
of our barrier island and bay communities.
Storm damage has been occurring more
frequently and the costs of restoration and
cleanup are rising. Experts conservatively
predict that sea level will rise between
seven and 14 inches in the next century.
What can be done to mitigate the current
and future damage to homes, businesses
and the environment?
ANJEC and three partners
explored this question in a
workshop held on April 11,
entitled: “Sea-Level Rise: Are
We Getting Wet Yet?”
Discussing sea level rise
impacts, State assistance to
pilot towns along the coast
and the biological necessity
of New Jersey’s salt water and
tidal marshes were Dr.
Norbert Psuty, Rutgers University author
and Director of the Sandy Hook Cooperative
Research Program /Marine and
Coastal Sciences; Dorina Frizzera, NJDEP
Coastal Zone Management Program; and
Danielle Kreeger, PhD, Partnership for the
Delaware Estuary, with assistance from
Lisa Auermuller of the Jacques Cousteau
National Estuarine Research Reserve.
There are many federal, state and nonprofit
programs designed to assist coastal
14 ANJEC REPORT - Summer 2011
Preparing for
sea level rise in
New Jersey
communities
By Jody Carrara, ANJEC Project Director
Almost 60 percent of
New Jersey residents
live in coastal
communities and the
coastal counties
generate
approximately
$2 billion in tourism
revenues.
municipalities as they plan for the future.
For example, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) is currently
fostering coastal storm resilience policies
by updating outdated Flood Hazard Maps
and expanding them to include data from
tidal gauges.
Coastal impacts of sea level rise
The second largest fishing port on the
East Coast is Cape May, where approximately
80 percent of the local fish and
invertebrate species spend part of their
lifetimes in the saltwater/
tidal marshes for food and
protection. These tidal
marshes are being lost to
erosion, storms and sea level
rise and are not recovering at
a rate sufficient to sustain
them. These losses impact the
fishing industry.
As sea level rises, drinking
water supplies in coastal
aquifers can become saline
and saltwater can also penetrate upstream
into coastal areas making surface water
supplies too salty for residents and agriculture.
This condition is exacerbated during
drought conditions when freshwater flow
decreases and the salt front can move
inland. Over withdrawal from the aquifers
and drought in some areas, like the
Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer, have
allowed saltwater to move into the aquifer
(Camp Dresser and Mckee, 1982).