Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 3-3. Restoration Project Highlight: Successful Restoration Projects Often
Must Address Multiple Issues
Location: South Cape May Meadows Restoration Project, New Jersey, United States
Cape May, a small community in New Jersey, historically was subjected to flood-
ing on a regular basis. The citizens made their case to the US Army Corps of Engi-
neers, which was not able to justify doing work based on the traditional cost-benefit
analysis. However, as the area received additional addition, it was decided that more
than a flood prevention project was needed. In concert with the State of New Jersey
and The Nature Conservancy, a project was developed that provided shoreline, dune,
and wetland restoration within this complex.
The residents of Cape May were primarily concerned with keeping the ocean
from flooding their community, which would require modifying the shoreline and
repairing the sand dunes. The wetlands were also seriously impacted by the effects
of an abandoned village with a grid of roads creating square ponds and wetland seg-
ments, which created another problem by allowing phragmites, an invasive species, to
invade the marsh. The hydrology had also been altered, which negatively affected the
adjacent landowner, Cape May Point State Park. The restoration project developed
by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmen-
tal Protection included several elements. The most significant of these were beach
replenishment and dune reconstruction, the restoration of freshwater flow through
the wetland by re-creating an old stream channel, and the construction of levees and
installation of water control structures.
The Nature Conservancy and the State of New Jersey have developed a water
management plan to allow water movement through the property while retaining
appropriate water levels at various times of the year to enhance migratory bird habitat.
No flooding has occurred since the work was completed in 2007, and the invasive
species were eradicated to less than 5 percent of their original area. The Nature Con-
servancy will take over active management of the Cape May Meadows in 2013. Pro-
fessional staff will be responsible for controlling invasive species and managing water
levels. Although the primary concern of adjacent landowners was to control the flood-
ing, they soon realized the positive benefits of this restoration work. With more than
two hundred thousand annual visitors, this site is now a significant natural attraction.
• When is the project to be completed?
• How should it look?
• Do the stakeholders have the same expectations?
• How soon should results become apparent?
• Are there special considerations that may govern the implementation methods or project
schedule?
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