Politics & Government

Waterway Debris Removal Continues as State Receives $51M Reimbursement

As work to restore the Jersey Shore’s waterways from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy continues, the state has received a $51 million reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the cost of the work. The state Department of Environmental Protection received the federal grants to cover the use of contractors for the loading, hauling, disposal and monitoring of Sandy debris throughout the state's waterways. Three contractors – Donjon Marine, CrowderGulf and AshBritt Inc. – were the low bidders to clean the waterways of northern, central and southern New Jersey, respectively. The work has included removing more than 60 homes that washed into Barnegat Bay, as well as smaller debris items such as cars, furniture, household goods and vegetation. So far, according to a statement from the DEP, the cleanup has encompassed the removal of 85 percent of debris from the state's waterways; the clearing of 83 percent of Department of Transportation channels; the clearing of 71 percent of storm-impacted marinas; and the removal of 79 percent of abandoned vessels and vehicles. The work is continuing, especially in Barnegat Bay, where lagoons off Ocean County’s northern barrier island are still filled in with sand that washed from the ocean into the back bay. The entire cost of the waterway cleanup is $68.11 million, the DEP said, $51 million of which will come from the recently-received grant.


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