Kean University to help Keyport with erosion, pollution research

Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press
·3 min read

KEYPORT — A community that has faced years of flooding risks, water pollution and beach erosion is about to receive some help from a team of researchers at Kean University.

In December, the Keyport Council passed a resolution that permitted Kean University to perform studies along the waterfront.

Soon, the borough's bay front will become a training ground in the battle against the impacts of climate change.

Despite shutting down in 1979 this dumpsite, shown Tuesday, March 23, 2021, along the Keyport bayshore near the Aeromarine Industrial Park was never properly capped. A lawsuit filed against the property owner claims waste is leaching into the ground and also getting into Raritan Bay.
Despite shutting down in 1979 this dumpsite, shown Tuesday, March 23, 2021, along the Keyport bayshore near the Aeromarine Industrial Park was never properly capped. A lawsuit filed against the property owner claims waste is leaching into the ground and also getting into Raritan Bay.

"We're establishing a long-term relationship with them (borough officials), so we'll be partners with them as they continue to face the issues of climate change, increasing storm damage and pollution," said Daniela Shebitz, who chairs Kean's Department of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences.

In the coming days, Kean researchers will measure the borough's beach to see if a nearby sand replenishment project in Union Beach slated for later this year will affect the shoreline in Keyport, she said.

Jun Cheng, a coastal geologist at Kean, said he hopes his research on the borough's shoreline, waves and sand flow will help Keyport officials make important decisions about the future. The municipality is particularly vulnerable to flooding and erosion from nor'easters and winter storms, because its position along Raritan Bay makes the borough susceptible to impacts from northeasterly winds, Cheng said.

Waves crash into docks and homes near the Keyport Yacht Club on the morning of Oct. 29, 2012. The center of Superstorm Sandy made landfall just hours later.
Waves crash into docks and homes near the Keyport Yacht Club on the morning of Oct. 29, 2012. The center of Superstorm Sandy made landfall just hours later.

If the borough's beach is too narrow, a future storm surge could flood Keyport's vulnerable areas, he said. Wide beaches help to dissipate wave energy that would otherwise damage homes and structures, he said.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused flood water to rise more than 6.7 feet over Keyport's bayfront promenade and damaged 113 borough properties, according to a coastal vulnerability assessment. As a result of the historic storm, Keyport lost more than $5.9 million worth of property, according to the report.

Cheng expects his data will help Keyport officials better argue the borough's need for beach replenishment to the federal Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees and partially funds the coastal projects.

But Kean's research will not stop at the municipal boundaries. The techniques used here will help train university students and future scientists in techniques used across the nation to protect shorelines and coastal communities, Cheng said. Those techniques are also valuable here in New Jersey, he added.

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"New Jersey… is ranked number one in the United States, in terms of volume of sand put on our beach per unit of shoreline," Cheng said.

Communities along Raritan Bay, Ocean County and southern New Jersey frequently need beach replenishment projects, he said.

In addition to beach studies, Kean scientists will test water quality around the former Aeromarine Industrial Park landfill, which was poorly capped and leaks pollutants into Raritan Bay.

Waves form on a flooded parking lot on Front Street in Keyport around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 29, 2012, hours before the center of Superstorm Sandy made landfall.
Waves form on a flooded parking lot on Front Street in Keyport around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 29, 2012, hours before the center of Superstorm Sandy made landfall.

"The federal government can't be everywhere for everybody," said Shebitz. Keyport officials "are frustrated with the DEP (state Department of Environmental Protection) for not enforcing the landfill regulations and not protecting the waterways. They feel like they've suffered a big loss of sand, because of erosion and storm damage. And nothing's being done to help them."

"We want to help gather data and information that could be used to help them in their fight to try to get the attention from the federal and state government that they deserve," she said.

Keyport officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Kean University to help Keyport NJ with flooding issues