State Order Allows Township to Improve Forked River Beach Shoreline Without Permit

The Township Committee says a request for a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection for the Forked River Beach is unnecessary after the state amended regulations to allow municipal emergency repair work following Hurricane Sandy.

After Hurricane Irene in 2011, Lacey was given $32,595 from FEMA to repair the Forked River Beach. The material cost for rock that was purchased was $19,725 but the township was waiting on a permit from the DEP to proceed with putting it down along the shoreline.

Now that the state has amended its regulations to allow for emergency repairs after Sandy, the township decided Thursday evening to cancel its permit application with the DEP as it is no longer necessary.

In keeping with the state's emergency regulations, the riprap was put down along the public beach to restore it to pre-Sandy conditions without needing a DEP permit.

To proceed with the permit would be a waste of funding since the township intends to shift direction and plan for a large-scale project to repair the beach, Township Administrator Veronica Laureigh said.

Approximately $12,870 will remain to go toward an erosion mitigation project to repair the beach.

Paperwork regarding the work that has been done must be filed with the DEP by Wednesday, May 1.