The years of common nor’easters sending a chill down the spine of Ortley Beach residents may be just about over.
The neighborhoods new dunes – which have yet to even be anchored down with dune grass – made an astronomical difference in this week’s coastal storm. The tide, driven by waves higher than 10-feet, came up farther than usual, but the beach entrances which, in past years, would have been decimated by waves, remained protected behind a mountain of dunes.
This week’s storm was the first test of the replenished dune line, which remains under construction. Oceanfront buildings such as the former Surf Club and Golden Gull condominiums are now protected behind the massive dune line, and the result of this week’s storm was little more than a bit of debris washed up along the shore and some dense fog left behind.
Replenishment work is now stalled in Ortley Beach due to high seas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not announced when replenishment operations would restart.
