Published: Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 7:49 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 7:49 p.m.

ORMOND BEACH Troy Kent is old enough to remember when gates didnt block the approaches to Ormonds tranquil sands or a nighttime drive on the beach wasnt illegal.

The city commissioner says he often dreams of reviving the notion of free and open access to the citys roughly four-mile stretch of beach.

I bet if you ask people how the beach was in the (19)70s and 60s, the farther back you go, the better and better it was, he said. The main thing is that our beach was accessible. Its bothersome that you cant get on your own beach.

Kent, 38, who represents the Ormond beachside south of Granada Boulevard, is pressing his colleagues to discuss an attempt to take back the citys beaches and approaches from Volusia County, which has managed the coastline since 1986. Though a proposal hasnt been formally introduced, Kent suggested at a recent commission meeting that Ormond residents be allowed to access the beach by vehicle for free while everyone else, including other Volusia County residents, would be charged $20 a day.

We know what our residents want and need, he said.

Kents call was prompted after the countys apparent unwillingness, so far, to open up the Milsap Road approach, north of Ormonds Andy Romano Beachfront Park, which opened this year. Kent and others believe opening that approach would allow many more people to enjoy the multi-million dollar parks no-traffic zone and solve parking issues that have plagued the stretch.

I wouldnt even be having this conversation if the beach approaches were open, he said. But the county has put its head in the sand. Theyre not being team players.

Ormond Beach has six approaches within its limits, but only two of them Granada Boulevard and Cardinal Drive are open for vehicular access. Beach Safety spokeswoman Tammy Marris said soft sands in the summer lead to periodic closures of the Granada approach.

Kent said under his plan the city would man the toll booths and Ormond Beach police would be responsible for patrolling the beaches. The county would continue to provide lifeguards as Ormond residents pay county taxes, he said.

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Ormond official wants beaches back

ABC Troy Buswell says new shark control measures in Western Australia do not represent a cull. ABC Fact Check finds his statement is .

Shark attacks arouse strong emotions in the Australian community. Following recent fatal attacks in New South Wales and Western Australia, there have been calls for tougher control measures, including the culling of sharks that lurk near popular beaches. Others say that sharks are an important part of the ecosystem and we should learn to co-exist with them.

On December 10, the Western Australian Government announced a series of measures that it says will increase safety for swimmers and surfers. WA Minister Troy Buswell says the response "does not represent what you would call a culling" of sharks.

"It is our view that is a targeted, localised, hazard mitigation strategy... If we are catching sharks that are or are about to be in close proximity of beaches then by extension we are making those beaches safer," he said.

The main initiatives are the establishment of 'Coastal Shark Management Zones' along popular beaches near Perth and Margaret River, the setting of baited drumlines one kilometre out from the shore, and engaging local fisherman to kill large sharks that venture into the new zones.

ABC Fact Check takes a look at whether Mr Buswell is giving the public the full story about these measures and the trade-offs required to improve beach safety.

The key measure in the WA package is the use of baited drumlines to catch sharks before they enter the new management zones. While this is a new strategy for WA, drumlines have been used in Queensland and the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal for many years. They have a similar function to the shark nets also used in those regions and in New South Wales. A drumline consists of a large baited hook suspended from a large plastic float, which in turn is anchored to the sea bed.

The Queensland Government's Shark Control Program manager Jeff Krause told Fact Check that in his state, shark nets and drumlines are used in combination along 85 beaches "to catch resident sharks and sharks that move through an area while feeding on bait fish". KwaZulu-Natal similarly uses a combination of nets and drumlines. New South Wales only uses nets, in place on 51 beaches including in Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle and the Illawarra.

Nets and drumlines are in place in Queensland and South Africa for most of the year, but NSW runs its program only between September 1 and April 30 and, according to a NSW Department of Primary Industries document, nets "may not be in place on every beach every day" even during that limited period.

The other main component of the new WA shark control program is the targeted killing of all sharks over three metres long that enter the management zones. Experts consulted by Fact Check say this sort of ad hoc shark control is not regularly practised elsewhere, although there was a shark number reduction program that operated on an irregular basis in Hawaii between between 1959 and 1976. In addition, it has been reported that the French Indian Ocean territory of Reunion plans to kill 90 sharks following five fatal attacks since 2011.

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Can governments protect people from killer sharks?

Beaches near Salvador da Bahia - Brazil 1979 Super8 Travel Channel
Beaches of Salvador da Bahia http://www.myvideomedia.com English see below Die Strnde von Salvador da Bahia sind nahezu 1200 km lang. Bereits wenige km aue...

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Beaches near Salvador da Bahia - Brazil 1979 Super8 Travel Channel - Video

Dirty Beaches live at Le Guess Who?, Utrecht 2013
2013-11-28, Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht.

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Dirty Beaches live at Le Guess Who?, Utrecht 2013 - Video

Super Mario 3D World - Part 12 - Bubbles, Beaches, and Boomerangs
Starting off world 5 with a sunshiney beach and a circus well fit for a clown such as myself. Welcome to Super Mario 3D World, the new 3D Mario game for the ...

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Super Mario 3D World - Part 12 - Bubbles, Beaches, and Boomerangs - Video

ISLAND MOUNTAIN PAT - "Boats, Beaches and Babes" 1/23
Happy Sunday Night Everybody - 1/23.

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ISLAND MOUNTAIN PAT - "Boats, Beaches and Babes" 1/23 - Video

A beach is a landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake, or river. It usually consists of loose particles, which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, or cobblestones. The particles comprising the beach are occasionally biological in origin, such as mollusc shells or coralline algae.

Wild beaches are beaches that do not have lifeguards or trappings of modernity nearby, such as resorts, camps, and hotels. They are sometimes called undeclared, undeveloped, or undiscovered beaches. Wild beaches can be valued for their untouched beauty and preserved nature. They are most commonly found in less developed areas including, for example, parts of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, but they are also found in developed nations such as Australia and New Zealand.

Beaches typically occur in areas along the coast where wave or current action deposits and reworks sediments.

Although the seashore is most commonly associated with the word beach, beaches are found by lakes and alongside large rivers.

Beach may refer to:

The former are described in detail below; the larger geological units are discussed elsewhere under bars.

There are several conspicuous parts to a beach that relate to the processes that form and shape it. The part mostly above water (depending upon tide), and more or less actively influenced by the waves at some point in the tide, is termed the beach berm. The berm is the deposit of material comprising the active shoreline. The berm has a crest (top) and a face the latter being the slope leading down towards the water from the crest. At the very bottom of the face, there may be a trough, and further seaward one or more long shore bars: slightly raised, underwater embankments formed where the waves first start to break.

The sand deposit may extend well inland from the berm crest, where there may be evidence of one or more older crests (the storm beach) resulting from very large storm waves and beyond the influence of the normal waves. At some point the influence of the waves (even storm waves) on the material comprising the beach stops, and if the particles are small enough (sand size or smaller), winds shape the feature. Where wind is the force distributing the grains inland, the deposit behind the beach becomes a dune.

These geomorphic features compose what is called the beach profile. The beach profile changes seasonally due to the change in wave energy experienced during summer and winter months. In temperate areas where summer is characterised by calmer seas and longer periods between breaking wave crests, the beach profile is higher in summer. The gentle wave action during this season tends to transport sediment up the beach towards the berm where it is deposited and remains while the water recedes. Onshore winds carry it further inland forming and enhancing dunes.

Conversely, the beach profile is lower in the storm season (winter in temperate areas) due to the increased wave energy, and the shorter periods between breaking wave crests. Higher energy waves breaking in quick succession tend to mobilise sediment from the shallows, keeping it in suspension where it is prone to be carried along the beach by longshore currents, or carried out to sea to form longshore bars, especially if the longshore current meets an outflow from a river or flooding stream. The removal of sediment from the beach berm and dune thus decreases the beach profile.

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Beach - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Revere Beach has a new breed of summer resident. An inconspicuous sort, they are particularly fond of an area at the north end of the beach, where they huddle in the narrow strip of sand between a concrete sea wall and the sound. For five years now, young couples have made the trip here to enjoy the saltwater, to dine alfresco, and to well, to hook up.

In residence this summer are three pairs of piping plovers, a species of migratory shorebird that was in danger of disappearing just a few decades ago. Plovers are still among the rarest birds in North America there are only about 1,800 pairs on the Atlantic Coast but for the last 25 years theyve had an outsize influence on how New Englanders can and cant use our beaches.

Since the United States first listed them as a threatened species in 1986, plovers, which nest on the sand, have been entitled to a variety of habitat protections. Driving off-road vehicles on many beaches is often banned between the time the plovers lay their eggs (as early as April) to when their chicks can fly (sometime in July). Sections of sand get fenced off to protect nests, and entire beaches are often shut down altogether for months at a time. For some of the frustrated people whod like to enjoy those beaches, too, the inconvenience has come to represent environmental do-gooding run amok. The plovers defenders, though, think differently.

Theres a whole sector of society that would argue that the habitats that these species require have changed in such a significant way that its not possible to save them, says Katharine Parsons, director of Mass Audubons Coastal Waterbird Program. But as humans, she says, we have a moral responsibility to do everything we can to rescue them.

The Revere Beach plovers have been doing all they can to help themselves. Wildlife officials would like plovers to fledge an average of 1.5 chicks per nest over five years, though these days even getting one chick out of four to survive is considered cause for celebration.

In Revere, however, the plovers have been posting extraordinary numbers. The 2009 pair fledged all four of their chicks, and the three pairs in 2010 fledged 11 of 12, or 3.66 per nest. Although its too early to say for sure, it looks like theyre set to do just as well this summer. Many other beaches may have higher plover populations, but few can claim Reveres productivity rates.

This unlikely level of success has left biologists and beach managers scratching their heads. Were flabbergasted, says Cathy Garnett, director of the ecology program at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The conventional wisdom regarding threatened species has always been pretty straightforward: Since human meddling is the thing that nearly drove the animals into extinction, the best way to save them is to keep people far away.

But crowded places like Revere Beach, with its 2.5 million annual visitors, have been forcing environmentalists to reconsider their assumptions. Even on raucous Sandwich beaches in 2008, when bonfires and fireworks werent uncommon, 41 plover pairs fledged 87 chicks (thats 2.12 per nest for folks keeping score at home).

With all this productivity, you might think the plover was on its way to coming off the threatened species list. But the Atlantic Coast population overall has curiously been stuck at a plateau for the past five years. This despite intensive efforts by wildlife agencies and communities all along the East Coast and millions of dollars spent every year on protection and management.

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Cape beach battle: The curious case of the piping plover

Lifesavers needed to avert tragedy

Bunbury beaches need full-time lifeguards to avoid someone being seriously injured or killed, warns City of Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club president Peter Duncan.

Mr Duncan said while the clubs volunteer lifeguards patrolled on weekends, if an incident occurred on a weekday during the busy holiday period, it could have serious consequences.

He said there needed to be more livesaver patrols at the popular Koombana Bay because the club could only visit the area a few times on weekends.

At Koombana Bay there are no regular lifeguards around, so if someone is in need of help they are in trouble as we are a few kilometres away, he said.

In Perth, councils have paid beach inspectors and ideally it would be nice in Bunbury, but we have to rely on rangers and they dont always have the capacity.

People are always at the beach over summer and our workload while on patrol is overloaded.

Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan said the council would look into employing lifeguards if approached.

A spokesman for Surf Life Saving WA said it aimed to patrol as many beaches as possible.

We are happy to look into it with the council if they determine it as a priority, he said.

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Lifesavers needed to avert tragedy

The snow is piling up and all you want to do is escape to a warm beach? These islands are perfect for a winter beach vacationand closer than you think.

You don't need to splurge on a trip to the Caribbean to spend time on the beach this winter. These eight U.S. islands have the sandy shores, seafood shacks, and sunny skies that will have you thinking it's summereven when there's snow on the ground back home.

Take a tour of the islands

AMELIA ISLAND, FL Average highs of 65/71 in February/March

About as far north as you can go and still be in the Sunshine State, Amelia Island's 13 miles of beaches are mostly deserted until Marchso it's easy to find a spot where there are no other people in sight. Horseback riding along the sand is one of the most popular off-season activities. Kids have a blast exploring the nooks and crannies of Fort Clinch, one of the country's best-preserved 19th-century fortifications. It was also one of the last of its kind, as new weapons made brick forts obsolete during the Civil War. Boutiques and lovingly restored Victorian mansions make up the historic district.

Sleep The Seaside Amelia Inn is steps from the beach and has a rooftop terrace perfect for taking in the sunset. Rooms start at just $69 a night.

Refuel Grab one of the umbrella-shaded tables in the courtyard of Joe's 2nd Street Bistro, where the menu leans, naturally, toward seafood.

Easy Escape From Jacksonville (33 miles), Gainesville (101 miles).

AVERY ISLAND, LA Average highs of 65/72 in February/March

Things get hot here, and not just because of the steamy weather. It's home to the Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory, where you can taste the fiery mixture during the free daily tours. (If you come on a Friday, you won't see the sauce being made, however.) E.A. McIlhenny, son of the company's founder, converted his private estate into a bird sanctuary, which he opened in 1935 as Jungle Gardens. McIlhenny was intent on saving snowy egrets, then endangered because their plumage was popular for ladies' hats. You can still see the brilliantly white birds inside the sanctuary and out. Surrounded by bayous, the mostly undeveloped island is also a great place to spot alligators, deer, and raccoons. You'll want to base yourself in one of the nearby communities; New Iberia, a half-hour drive north, has a good selection of restaurants and gracious homes transformed into B&Bs.

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Beaches that are still warm

A University of Canterbury (UC) student who received his doctorate at graduation this week has provided management options to authorities to minimise the impacts of beach users on shellfish resources.

Beaches are increasingly under pressure from a growing population and peoples activities on beaches. As the festive holidays approach, more people will be driving their cars on sandy beaches for a range of activities.

Driving cars on beaches or riding horses on beaches pose a significant threat to shellfish living and feeding in shallow beach water, UC researcher Dr Gareth Taylor says.

My study looked at the impacts of vehicle driving and horse riding on shellfish beds within Pegasus Bay in Canterbury. Tuatua were found to be immediately impacted by both users, and extrapolative modelling predicted that continued disturbance could be highly detrimental to the population.

The results were then used to evaluate current beach management techniques and provide management options to Environment Canterbury to minimise the impacts of beach users on shellfish resources.

While most light leisure activities, such as sunbathing and running, will have no impact on the environment, other heavier activities could. Dr Taylor looked at how beaches can be managed to reduce the impact on shellfish.

The intertidal zone, where most people drive their cars on a beach, contains a wide range of shellfish including juvenile tuatua. In addition to being a food source, tuatua naturally filter the water reducing turbidity. This helps to keep water clear and clean for us to enjoy when visiting the beach.

While adult tuatua are in the subtidal area, juvenile tuatua sit in the top 5 to 10 cm of sediment about 30 metres below the high tide line. This is also where vehicles and horses are frequently are used.

As a vehicle driver on the beach, what can people do to stop this damage occurring? The easiest way is to not drive on the beach; however, if a vehicle is required there are other ways to mitigate impacts.

Driving within the same tracks made by other vehicles will significantly reduce tuatua mortality caused by vehicles. The initial vehicle will cause about five percent mortality, but if motorists drive through the same tracks this will increase by just 0.27 percent. This is in stark contrast to causing five percent mortality when creating new tracks.

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UC research suggests ways to reduce impact of vehicles on beaches

After four months, 825 miles, two million steps, 7.5 million snapshots and waaaay more naked old people than they care to remember, a trekking team of human cameras trudged into South Pointe Park on Wednesday, finishing the task of photographing all Floridas beaches for Google Maps.

Its certainly the strangest job Ive ever had, said David DeLong of Tampa, one of four men who tramped up and down the coast wearing 45-pound backpacks loaded with 15 cameras, a hard drive and a modem. And at the beginning, before I got adjusted to the backpack, it was kind of tough.

But its like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer it feels great when you stop.

The trek was part of a cooperative venture between the giant Internet company Google and Visit Florida, the states tourism agency. The photos will be stitched together into panoramic, 360-degree views of every inch of coastline beach that, sometime next spring, will be available online through Google Maps Street View.

It will have a lot of uses, said Nelson Mongiovi, a Visit Florida project manager. The Florida Film Commission loves it Hollywood producers will be able to scout locations without getting on a plane. Government agencies can use it to help measure beach erosion.

But, primarily, its marketing Florida from a digital platform. People can take a virtual tour of Florida beaches from their homes and decide which ones they want to visit. Beaches have different personalities: They might be family-oriented. They might be nude beaches. They might be pet-friendly. This will let visitors get a 360-degree look in advance.

It was those nude beaches that took the greatest toll on the four trekkers, at least in terms of shattered illusions. It was pretty hot and pretty hard going when we started in August, Mongiovi said. And some of the guys, I think, were keeping themselves going with the idea that, hey, soon well pass through some nude beaches.

But when we reached the first one, one of the guys told me: The dream died yesterday It turns out most of the people who hang out on nude beaches should probably keep their clothes on.

Other obstacles included seawalls, coastal condos that took a you-and-whose-army attitude when reminded that state law says beaches are open to the public, dive-bombing birds and the occasional mangrove swamp. DeLong still shudders at the memory of a spot on Keewaydin Island off Naples, where he had to wade through murky thigh-high water.

The footing was really uncertain, and youre carrying a backpack with who knows how many tens of thousands of dollars in gear inside, and thinking about what happens if you slip, the 55-year-old DeLong said. Thats a phone call you just dont want to have to make.

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Google Maps’ project to photograph every inch of Florida beaches wraps up

Gold Coast lifesavers on Surfers Paradise beach featured in a Tourism Australia campaign. Beaches are still the biggest drawcard for visitors to the city. Source: Supplied

THE Gold Coast beaches have lost none of their sparkle for visitors -- still topping the list of tourism drawcards for the city.

Tourists surveyed in the inaugural Gold Coast Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report, commissioned by Gold Coast Tourism and the Gold Coast City Council, said the city's beaches were one of the main reasons for coming here and going to the beach was the top activity during their stay.

Surfers Paradise Beach was the most popular spot visited, followed by Pacific Fair, Burleigh Beach, Harbour Town Shopping Centre and Coolangatta Beach.

`Summers waiting for you on the Gold Coast campaign by Gold Coast Tourism Source: Supplied

The role of events in driving the city's tourism industry was also highlighted in the survey, with most saying that was why they came.

Jupiters Hotel and Casino boss Aaron Gomes said events played a crucial role in topping up the Gold Coast tourism industry's profits.

"Holiday bookings are made up to the last minute so they are difficult to plan around," he said.

"But when people come for events, they make the decision well in advance, so we are able to plan around it and avoid dropping rates."

Surfers Paradise was the most visited area, while Broadbeach, Coolangatta and Burleigh Heads were also high on the list.

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Beaches still top drawcard

FORT PIERCE, Fla.-- Windy weather is leaving its mark on Treasure Coast beaches, with escarpments several feet high in some areas, including Jensen Beach and the Fort Pierce inlet.

Lifeguards near Jensen Beach expect the escarpments to become taller over the next few days as windy conditions are expected to continue.

But, it's not something to be alarmed about. In fact, that's exactly what the beach is supposed to do.

James David, the St. Lucie County Coastal Management Services Director, says officials have been monitoring the beaches for several weeks. They've been noting how far the water is coming up on the beach, or whether any dunes or structures are being threatened.

David says everything is safe.

Some of that credit goes to a 1.1 million cubic yard beach restoration project earlier in the year.

David says most eroded sand will naturally move south. The escarpments will likely even themselves out in little time.

"In a couple of days it will all be gone and everybody will be out here in their bathing suits and little umbrellas enjoying their beach. It's still going to be here."

David said another re-nourishment project is planned for the spring, and likely the spring the following year.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Beaches monitored on Treasure Coast

Topics: dead birds, department of environment and heritage protection, kinka beach

WHAT is usually a pleasant stroll along the beach for Grant Norton and Trudi McDonald became an upsetting ordeal for the couple recently after a grim discovery.

It was on Sunday morning when the pair came across 16 dead birds and a dead turtle on Kinka Beach at the Capricorn Coast.

Trudi said they had been walking the beaches almost every day lately for the past few months and had never seen anything like this before.

"What's causing it? It needs to be looked into," she said.

"There was black stuff coated around it (the birds)it's just too many."

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokesperson said the department has received many reports of dead short-tailed shearwaters, or muttonbirds, being found on Queensland beaches.

"This may continue along the Queensland coast over the next few months," the spokesperson said.

"The shearwaters are on their annual migration from northern Russia to rookeries in Victoria and South Australia. Unfortunately, the birds can succumb to exhaustion along the way."

In response to the dead turtle sighting, the spokesperson said at this stage EHP has received no reports of a dead turtle on Kinka Beach.

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Dead tired muttonbirds found on Capricorn Coast beaches

LONG BRANCH A $40 million federal beach replenishment project is set to get underway in Long Branch next week, officials announced today.

Even before Hurricane Sandy decimated much of New Jerseys coastline, beaches in Long Branch were narrow. Because of Sandys 10-foot storm surges, local officials said its even more imperative for the beach widening work.

Sandy severely damaged our beaches and caused serious erosion that needs to be repaired to protect us from future storms, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.) said at Pier Village in the Monmouth County city. With this critical beach replenishment project getting under way, we are moving a step closer toward recovering from Superstorm Sandy and rebuilding the Shore.

Pallone visited the area earlier today with Col. Paul Owen, commander of the New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which designed the project.

Long Branch is the third of four phases of the Army Corps work to reconstruct the coastline from Sea Bright to Manasquan. Work has already been completed in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach. Work on the section from Belmar to Manasquan started last week and another section, from Avon-by-the-Sea to Asbury Park, is scheduled to start in January.

The Long Branch project will start at Pier Village and end at Lake Takanassee about two miles to the south. When that section is finished, work will begin on the nearly three miles of the citys northern beaches to the Monmouth Beach border.

The last of the Monmouth County phases, from the Elberon section of Long Branch to Loch Arbour, is expected to start next fall. This section never had beach replenishment so local and federal officials are working to obtain easements and to design the project, Pallone said.

Beach replenishment contracts awarded for Monmouth County coastal towns

Army Corps of Engineers begins $8M beach replenishment in Monmouth Beach

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$40M replenishment project to begin on Long Branch beaches next week

Treasure Coast beaches pounded; Boynton Beach jetty closed
Jon Shainman and Marissa Bagg reports.

By: WPTVnews

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Treasure Coast beaches pounded; Boynton Beach jetty closed - Video

By: Mike Vasilinda November 8, 2013

Want to know what a beach on the other side of Florida looks like? Youll soon be able to get a 360 degree view courtesy the states tourism marketing agency. Visit Florida has partnered with Google to visually map more than eight hundred miles of Florida beaches.

It began in the Panhandle. Florida-Alabama state line and these are our first steps, says Chris Officer, Trekker.

Two teams of two people have been walking Floridas beaches since mid July. On their backs a 40 pound 360 degree camera pack. Its the states latest effort to lure more people to the state. So its a great opportunity to give wet peoples appetite and help-let them virtually explore the Florida beaches, says Will Seccombe, Visit Florida Director.

Along their way the trekkers, as they are called, were as much a tourist attraction as the beaches they walked.

Florida had ninety one and a half million tourists last year. The goal is one hundred million and marketers think the beach views will be one more tool to reach their goal. Its not just a picture. You want to show people what, you know, what their beach looks like and what their walk is going to be like in the morning or the sunset that afternoon, says Seccombe.

The trekkers have been covering about 50 miles a week, their journey hasnt been without, well surprises. [What do you do with nude beaches?] Well, our Visit Florida team ran across a couple of those beaches on their trek through the state. They will be blurred out just like the licenses plates on street cam for Google, says Will Seccombe.

The journey finishes next week on South Beach, the pictures go live early next year.

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Florida Beaches Google-Style

Discover Dining in The Palm Beaches, Florida
With so many diverse areas throughout The Palm Beaches, the options for dining are virtually infinite. Downtown West Palm Beach is a hub for upscale shopping...

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Discover Dining in The Palm Beaches, Florida - Video

Water breaches sand dunes in Belmar, NJ as Hurricane Sandy approaches on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 (credit: Kathryn Brown/CBS 2)

MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) Wider beaches are on the way for some Jersey shore towns whose coast took a pounding during Superstorm Sandy as a $25 million beach replenishment project led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins Friday in Manasquan.

Right after Superstorm Sandy, I remember seeing the devastation, said U.S Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican who represents some of the affected towns. Weve got to replenish, weve got to rebuild the dunes because they did mitigate the loss. The damage would have been far worse had the Army Corps projects not been in place.

But the project that will widen beaches from Manasquan north to Belmar will not include restoring dunes that washed away during Sandy last year. That would have to be done under a separate project, possibly funded by state and local governments

The work is among several beach restoration projects that were done this year, or that will begin next spring or summer. Work on the northern Monmouth County shoreline including Sea Bright was done earlier this year, as were projects in three towns on Long Beach Island in Ocean County. Additional projects in Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties could get underway next spring or early summer, said Ed Voigt, a spokesman for the Army Corps.

Those projects include the southern end of Ocean City, along with Strathmere and Sea Isle City, and additional towns on Long Beach Island. Beach replenishment should be completed by December in Ventnor, he said.

The work will widen beaches, some of which have eroded to just 75 feet wide, to a width of 150 to 250 feet.

Normally, the Army Corps would be authorized to return the beaches only to their pre-storm condition. But special authorization after last years devastating storm gave the Corps permission to restore the beaches to their fully-built design condition, a state last achieved in 1997, according to Anthony Ciorra, a Superstorm Sandy project manager for the Army Corps.

Much of Manasquans beachfront was devastated by the storm on Oct. 29, 2012. It washed away tons of sand, smashed and washed away half the boroughs asphalt beach walk, and destroyed numerous beachfront houses.

Beach replenishment works by sucking sand from the sea floor, carrying it through a network of submerged pipes, and shooting it through a huge basket-type filter onto the shoreline.

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Report: Wider Beaches On The Way For Some Shore Towns