Casinos in Atlantic City have been complaining of shrinking beaches for years, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finally ready to deliver the enormous volume of fresh sand needed to help fight erosion.
There have been other publicly-funded remediation efforts in the past. However, it has been many years since the last delivery of sand by the government. In the meantime, some resorts have had to conduct their own sand replenishment efforts, at great expense.
The latest plan calls for 1.2 million cubic yards of sand to be added to the Atlantic City shoreline. For at least three summers, visitors and locals in the New Jersey city have noted that the beaches have been noticeably smaller as sand has eroded and been swept out to the ocean.
According to the plan announced by the State of New Jersey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the sand that will be pumped onto New Jersey beaches could fill as many as 120,000 dump trucks. That’s a lot of sunbathing.
Atlantic City casinos and resorts claim their business has been impacted by the smaller beaches over the last two to three years. Atlantic City is home to seven casino resorts, making it an attractive tourist attraction on the U.S. northeast coast.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Beach Nourishment Program
The plan to widen and bolster the beaches of Atlantic City is part of a program called Beach Nourishment undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The federal program classifies beaches as “a precious national resource,” that helps to “define the physical, economic, environmental, and social fabric of our nation …”
The federal government estimates that Florida beaches, for example, “contribute more than $15 billion annually” to that state’s economy. As a result, the Corps has taken action to protect beaches from erosion.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “narrow, eroding beaches have insufficient sand volume to protect developed coastal areas from the effects of hurricanes and storms.
“Significant destruction from flooding, wave attack, and storm surge is more likely as an eroding beach assumes a steeply sloping profile and the coastline moves inland, ever closer to people and property along the shore.”
Beach nourishment is the preferred method for protecting coastal systems. The Corps of Engineers has previously brought sand to beaches in Ocean City, New Jersey, and also Panama City in Florida, among other locations.
Atlantic City Casinos
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and Ocean Casino Resort, both opened in 2018, are the most recent gaming venues to debut in Atlantic City. The city has a long history of gaming, dating back to the 1970s. The state legalized casinos in Atlantic City exclusively in 1974, making New Jersey the second state with legal casino-style gambling.
Atlantic City is a mecca for entertainment, with most of its casino resorts also offering stages and venues that attract big name musical artists, as well as comedians, stage shows, and more.
