1 Background 
The U.S. Army Engineer District, New York (New York District), is con- 
structing Section I - Sea Bright to Ocean Township, New Jersey, of the Atlantic 
Coast of New Jersey-Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet Beach Erosion Control 
Project (U.S. Army Engineer District, New York 1989). Within the initial 
portion of this project, a zone of accelerated shoreline erosion has developed 
near the southern boundary of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. This report is first 
in a series on the topic of accelerated erosion rates of the beach fill at Monmouth 
Beach, New Jersey. The objective of the present report is to identify factors con- 
tributing to the area of accelerated erosion at Monmouth Beach. The present 
study evaluates four hypotheses presented as possible explanations for the hot 
spot within the beach fill, identifies likely contributors to the accelerated erosion 
rates, and makes recommendations regarding concepts of mitigating the 
erosional hot spot. The second report extends the conceptual recommendations 
of this report by developing and analyzing shore-protection alternatives and 
estimating required stone sizes and volumes for the recommended alternatives. 
Beach-Fill Summary 
The Atlantic Coast of New Jersey-Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet Beach 
Erosion Control Project (New York District 1989) was designed in three sections 
(Figure 1), Section 1 being Sea Bright to Ocean Township, New Jersey. 
Section 1 is scheduled to be constructed in four contracts (Figure 2), with the 
first contract, Contract 1A, ranging from the southern boundary of Monmouth 
Beach north to Rumson Bridge (3.1 miles’ in length). The planform design for 
the Contract 1A beach fill begins with sta 131 near Rumson Bridge and extends 
south to sta 295 near the Monmouth Beach/Long Branch municipal boundary 
(Figure 3). Beach-fill placement for Contract 1A began in June 1994 and ended 
for the season on 3 January 1995 resulting in completion of the southern third of 
the contract. Construction of Contract 1A resumed in April 1995, proceeding 
northward to completion in November 1995. By late 1995, a 0.5-mile length of 
beach fill (between sta 253 and 277) in the southernmost portion of Contract 1A 
was suffering from accelerated erosion, with erosion rates decreasing between 
1 A table of factors for converting non-SI units of measurement to SI units is presented on 
page viii. 
Chapter 1 Background 
