Restoration in the Delaware Bay: An Example to Flood Plain Managers From Across the State

Along New Jersey’s Delaware Bay, restoring marshes and beaches isn’t just good for wildlife--it’s also a practical way to help protect nearby towns from flooding. The American Littoral Society’s Delaware Bayshore work is showing how investing in healthy coastal habitats can strengthen the shoreline, reduce risk, and support the communities that depend on a thriving bay. 

​On April 24, 2026, the New Jersey Association of Floodplain Managers visited the Delaware Bayshore to see these nature-based solutions firsthand. The group toured our breakwaters in the Northwest Reach from land and viewed our beach restoration work at Thompsons Beach from the A.J. Meerwald, a historic sailboat and New Jersey’s official tall ship. The Cumberland County Planning Department organized the trip to highlight the innovative approaches being used on the Bayshore—and to share examples that other coastal communities across the state can learn from. ​

This work comes at a critical time. Decades of elevation loss due to historic land use around the bay, combined with stronger storms and sea-level rise, have contributed to the loss of marshland and beach habitat. These natural areas are essential: they provide spawning beaches for horseshoe crabs, feeding habitat for shorebirds, and a protective buffer that helps absorb storm surge before floodwaters reach homes, roads, and businesses. 

​Our restoration approach focuses on both rebuilding habitat and making it last. It’s not only about putting sand back on the beach--it’s also about helping keep that sand in place. Offshore structures can reduce wave energy that would otherwise continue to erode the shoreline. At the same time, healthy marshes act like a sponge, soaking up floodwaters and storm surge.

In the Northwest Reach, our hybrid breakwaters are designed to do two things at once: protect what remains and help rebuild what has been lost. By reducing wave energy, the breakwaters help slow ongoing erosion of the marsh edge. They also trap sediment on the inland side, encouraging natural deposition that can gradually raise elevations and support marsh recovery. ​

Projects like this matter for every coastal community looking for cost-effective, long-term ways to manage flood risk. Nature-based solutions can complement traditional infrastructure while also delivering benefits that seawalls and bulkheads can’t—like habitat for wildlife and improved water quality. Here in Cumberland County, continued restoration helps protect marinas and bay-dependent industries in places like Fortescue, Commercial Township, and Maurice River Township—historic communities whose livelihoods are closely tied to the health of the Delaware Bay. 

​Looking ahead, we’re building on this progress. The American Littoral Society has been awarded an additional $5 million through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Natural Climate Solutions grant program to add more breakwaters and expand the project across the Northwest Reach. This next phase will help scale up the protective and habitat-building benefits that the Floodplain Managers saw during their visit. 

What can you do? There are many ways to care for the coast. You can support the American Littoral Society’s work by becoming a member, making a donation, volunteering when opportunities are available, and sharing these projects with friends and family. Staying informed and talking about nature-based flood protection helps build the public support needed to bring solutions like this to more communities. 
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Restoring the Delaware Bay shoreline is about protecting places—both the wildlife habitats that make this bay globally important and the communities that call the Bayshore home. As this work continues, we hope it serves as a practical example of how restoration can reduce flooding risk while bringing the bay back to life. ​