Monitoring biological impacts of beach nourishment projects: Implications of a major monitoring program in northern New Jersey, USA

Between 1993 and 1999 over 19 million in 3 of sand were placed on beaches in northern New Jersey. This large-scale nourishment project was unprecedented in terms of volume for exposed, high-energy beaches at this latitude. In coordination with state and federal agencies, a biological monitoring program was established to address concerns for potential impacts on biota inhabiting the offshore sand borrow areas as well as the intertidal and nearshore areas receiving fill material. General components of the monitoring program included benthos, fishery resources, and suspended sediments. Monitoring of benthos and fishery resources was conducted for three years prior to nourishment, during placement, and up to two years afterwards. Basic sampling design included multiple reference sites and a significant effort to integrate individual monitoring components. Findings of the various components suggest that impacts were limited to small spatial and short temporal scales. An examination of the level of effort required to detect impacts at these scales leads to the conclusion that fundamental objectives of beach nourishment monitoring efforts need to be re-evaluated and refocused such that best management practices can be further refined.