Posted:Today Updated: 7:29 AM Superstorm Sandy did far less damage in areas that made use of federal money ahead of time.

Wayne Parry / The Associated Press

SPRING LAKE, N.J. Towns along the Jersey shore that made use of federal money to build up beaches came through Superstorm Sandy with far less damage than those that didn't.

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A bulldozer pushes piles of sand on the Ocean Grove, N.J., beach in front of its storm-buckled boardwalk and damaged fishing pier last week.

The Associated Press

Those findings are sure to intensify a debate that has raged for years over the wisdom of pumping millions of dollars' worth of sand onto the coastline, only to see it wash away continually.

That dispute pits coastal advocates for some of the most valuable shoreline in the country against elected officials from inland states who say it's unfair to ask taxpayers from, say, the Great Plains to pay to keep rebuilding beaches they don't even use.

The storm caused major erosion along New Jersey's famous 127-mile coastline, washing away tons of sand and slimming down beaches. Some lost half their sand; the average loss statewide was 30 to 40 feet of beach width.

Routine storms tear up beaches in any season, and even normal waves carry away sand. Over the years, one prescription for insulating communities from the invading sea has been to artificially replenish beaches with sand pumped from offshore. The federal government picks up 75 percent of the cost, with the rest coming from state and local governments.

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Building up beaches paid off for N.J. towns