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Neptune Township is constructing a 2,050-foot-long living shoreline along South Riverside Drive. The American Littoral Society is providing ecological oversight to ensure minimal disruption of existing habitat during the project.
Living shorelines are nature-based solutions that provide land stabilization and protect shorelines from erosion while also creating or enhancing living space for other organisms. Besides protecting homes and infrastructure, living shorelines can create healthier ecosystems by increasing plant and animal biodiversity, filtering stormwater, and removing carbon from the air. The South Riverside Living Shoreline involves the following: Beach
Nearly 4,000 cubic yards of sand will be deposited on the beach to raise the existing elevation. The beach will be graded at a 1:8 slope toward South Riverside Drive. DUNE
A small dune will be constructed near the top of the beach slope close to the existing roadway. This dune will be approximately two feet high at most locations. The dune will be surrounded by snow/drift fencing to keep the sand in place, then planted with native vegetation in spring 2023. Marsh Sill
A series of marsh sills will be installed. Marsh sills reduce wave energy, trap sediment, and create conditions more conducive to wetland plant growth. The sills will made using “mattress” system made by Tensar International Corp. These mattresses are flexible, porous sheaths filled with a mix of rock and shell. Each mattress will be 24 feet long, five feet wide, and one foot high. They will be placed adjacent to an existing, decrepit bulkhead and will run the length of the project site. Gaps between mattresses will be placed every 100 feet to allow animals paths into and out of the area. Marsh
Coir logs (biodegradable erosion control devices made from interwoven coconut fibers) will be installed at the waterward extent of the existing marsh to trap sediment and raise the elevation of the marsh. In spring 2023, we will plant additional Spartina alterniflora leeward of the coir logs to bolster the existing saltmarsh in the area. Outfall pipes
Old outfall pipes will be replaced and upgraded with inline valves to prevent the backflow of water. Overall, this project will help protect the surrounding community from storms and waves, and reduce flooding impacts, while creating marsh and beach habitat for wildlife.
Construction work is being carried out by Neptune Township and Albert Marine, Inc. Avakian Engineering is managing the construction. 
This schematic shows a cross-section of the work that will be done on the living shoreline at South Riverside Drive.
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Marsh sills will made using “mattress” system made by Tensar International Corp.
Old outfall pipes, such as this one, will be replaced and upgraded.
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Project Updates
NOVEMBER 11, 2022
The outfall pipe replacement is currently underway and the remaining project components will be installed over the next few weeks. Five of seven outfalls have already been replaced. Project construction will require the use of heavy machinery that will necessitate the closing of sections of South Riverside Drive.
nOVEMBER 28, 2022
Onsite construction of the living shoreline has begun. Today, contractors started delivering sand to the project site. This sand will be used to raise the elevation of the shoreline. After each truckload of sand is offloaded, contractors use a skid steer to grade the sand to the proper elevation and slope as marked out by project engineers. We anticipate about 20 truckloads of sand will be delivered each day. Three hundred truckloads of sand will be needed for the project in total.
DECEMBER 2, 2022
We have completed the first half of the sand placement. Around 150 truckloads of sand have been delivered to the site and spread to create an elevated pathway along the beach. Next week, workers will start placing shell mattresses in the water using a crane. The crane will travel along the newly created pathway to access the project site. Once installed, the mattresses will buffer wave energy helping to keep the shoreline intact. Following the installation of the mattresses, the remaining sand will be delivered, a small dune will be constructed, and the beach will be graded to the proper slope and elevation.
Earlier this week, strong winds and rain, in combination with high tide, resulted in waves and water reaching up to the newly placed sand. The visual result was an orange plume that extended out into Shark River driving concerns that the sand was being lost. However, this plume was largely composed of smaller silt particles and mineral oxides leaching from the sand. This is a normal process and was expected to occur over time. Rather than being lost, the sand formed a natural slope along the beach and was captured by the existing wetland vegetation. This further highlights the importance of wetlands and natural shorelines and provides a real life example of why we promote their protection and restoration.
Earlier this week, strong winds and rain, in combination with high tide, resulted in waves and water reaching up to the newly placed sand. The visual result was an orange plume that extended out into Shark River driving concerns that the sand was being lost. However, this plume was largely composed of smaller silt particles and mineral oxides leaching from the sand. This is a normal process and was expected to occur over time. Rather than being lost, the sand formed a natural slope along the beach and was captured by the existing wetland vegetation. This further highlights the importance of wetlands and natural shorelines and provides a real life example of why we promote their protection and restoration.
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DECEMBER 15, 2022
Over the past two weeks, contractors have been staging materials onsite in preparation of the marsh sill install. Marsh sills are structures placed in water offshore that reduce wave energy and capture sediment. The marsh sill in this project will be composed of tensar mattresses that are filled with a mix of rock and shell. Each mattress will be placed in the water just beyond the existing dilapidated wooden bulkhead. They will form an almost contiguous row along the shoreline with gaps present every 100 feet to ensure critters can move freely from water to shoreline. Sill construction will begin next week.
January 3, 2022
Happy New Year! Work at the project site has been progressing rapidly. As you might have seen, over the last two weeks, contractors have installed nearly all of the mattresses and coir logs. These items will break up wave energy and help keep sand on the beach. This week, workers are focused on completing the dune. Once done, they will add more sand to the beach to raise the area to the proper elevation. The dune will be planted with native vegetation in the spring.
January 18, 2022
The South Riverside Project is nearing completion. Over the past two months we have installed nearly 2000 feet of tensar mattress and coir log, while adding almost 4,000 cubic yards of sand to raise the elevation of the beach and create a small dune. Over the next few days, workers will finish off the dune construction and add walkways for public to access the beach. On dunes closer to the water, we have added additional coir logs at the toe of the dune slope to offer more protection to the dunes until they are planted. The dunes will be planted with native grasses in March, and we plan to hold an event to allow community members to take part in the planting. In addition, we will be monitoring the project for the next five years and plan to incorporate interested community members in the monitoring. If you are interested in attending the planting day or assisting with monitoring, please email Zack at [email protected]. In addition, stay tuned for public meeting something in February where we will present on the project and next steps.
October 2023
Project Updates:
We conducted biological monitoring over the spring and summer. Several large stands of marsh grasses (Spartina alterniflora) were present onsite, suggesting much of the natural marsh has rebounded after construction activities. Some of the planted Spartina has also established; however, much was lost following several storms. We will continue to monitor marsh vegetation growth and propagation through time as well as other biological metrics (# fiddler crabs, ribbed mussels, etc.). In addition, two students with the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), are monitoring the site for their senior projects.
The dunes continue to be resilient to tides and storms. Some settling and deformation has occurred although this is natural and was expected. The dune grasses are healthy and display good coverage. The silt fence will remain around the dunes until spring 2024 to help ensure root establishment.
We conducted biological monitoring over the spring and summer. Several large stands of marsh grasses (Spartina alterniflora) were present onsite, suggesting much of the natural marsh has rebounded after construction activities. Some of the planted Spartina has also established; however, much was lost following several storms. We will continue to monitor marsh vegetation growth and propagation through time as well as other biological metrics (# fiddler crabs, ribbed mussels, etc.). In addition, two students with the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), are monitoring the site for their senior projects.
The dunes continue to be resilient to tides and storms. Some settling and deformation has occurred although this is natural and was expected. The dune grasses are healthy and display good coverage. The silt fence will remain around the dunes until spring 2024 to help ensure root establishment.
Project Partners
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