Red tape delays beach openings 
By DONNA WEAVER Staff Writer, (609) 978-2015
Published: Saturday, May 19th, 2007

Officials for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the beaches were not opened Friday as was projected at the beginning of the week because of “administrative tasks” that remain to be done, a corps spokesman said.
“We're done with our physical work but there are still a lot of things that need to happen — land use controls and that sort of thing,” said Ed Voigt, spokesman for the corps.

State Department of Environmental Protection, or DEP, spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas said Friday evening that she was not aware of receiving a recommendation from the corps to reopen the beaches.

In a statement released Friday, the corps referred to the removal of World War I era munitions from the beaches as the first step in the process of removing the immediate danger posed by the discarded military munitions. As the next step, the corps will work with the DEP to determine what, if any, further investigation and remediation is required to complete all work at the site, according to corps spokesman Khaalid Walls on Friday.

Additional work could include a risk assessment for both human health and ecological risks, according to the corps.

The munitions were first located in March and beaches in Surf City have been closed since then. Several beaches in Ship Bottom were also closed to scan for the munitions.
The explosive materials inside the 1,100 items that have been located are contaminants, corps spokesman Chris Augsburger of the corps' Baltimore District said on Thursday. The items that have been found include projectiles containing black explosive powder, fuses, boosters and adaptors. Augsburger said the corps is not sure what the materials are inside of the fuses, boosters and adaptors but that they are contaminants.

But the corps and the DEP were unsure this week if sampling of the sand on the beaches where the munitions were found is necessary.

“We are working with the corps on this project and we have not received a report from the corps that there need to be contamination tests,” said DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura. 

Augsburger said he did not know specifically what the materials inside the munitions are because the corps has not opened any of them. None of the munitions that have been located were leaking, he said.

“All the munitions that are found are taken by the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal Unit to Fort Monmouth. It's impossible to know what all the materials are inside,” Augsburger said. The munitions that have been located are durable, even though they have been underwater for decades. Testing of the sand would depend several things, he said. 

“It's case by case. It would depend on the kind of soil, in this case it's sand, sand is not soil; the kind of contaminant and what amount was present,” said Augsburger. “We're not done with the project yet. Once we can say that we're done then we can decide about sampling.”

Voigt said the corps is still working to have the beaches open for Memorial Day.

Surf City Mayor Leonard T. Connors said he is not concerned about the failure to reopen the beaches this week.

“I still think they'll be open before Memorial Day. No, I'm not concerned,” Connors said.
 
 

To e-mail Donna Weaver at The Press:

DWeaver@pressofac.com