Monmouth County’s Urban Coast a “Growing” Problem

Monmouth County’s Urban Coast a “Growing” Problem

 Most visitors and many residents see Monmouth County through a lens that magnifies the recreational shore and the bucolic farms and small town centers. But Monmouth like many counties in the New York Metropolitan area is becoming increasingly urban and, with more frequent coastal storms, more vulnerable. Monmouth County’s urban coast includes the smaller towns on Raritan Bay like Keyport, Union Beach, Keansburg, and Highlands to the larger Oceanside cities of Asbury Park and Long Branch.

This coastal population growth continues despite the history of and devastation from coastal storms and hurricanes. As the planet warms, these cities, towns and villages face a double threat of rising sea levels and more severe storms. The oceans are expected to rise up to 6.6 feet (2 meters) by 2100 due to thermal expansion and glacier melt. Global warming is likely to result in more extreme coastal storms, such as Hurricane Sandy that caused severe damage last year. The population pressures may affect coastal areas, Holly Bamford, assistant NOAA administrator for the National Ocean Service, said in a recent statement.

A NOAA National Coastal Population Report says that 11 million more Americans will move to the coasts by 2020 and that our nation’s shorelines already have the most densely populated communities.

"The coast is substantially more crowded than the U.S. as a whole," report editor Kristen Crossett, of NOAA's National Ocean Service said in a statement. "And the projected growth in coastal areas will increase population density at a faster rate than the country as a whole."

This population growth is not just an ocean coast phenomenon. New York Harbor is a major Estuary, and the tidal rivers associated with Raritan Bay like the Navesink and Shrewsbury are also areas of population growth. Communities along the banks of the Raritan River, for example were subject to devastating flooding events during Irene and some communities are more frequently flooded even in a nor’easter or upstream rain storm. Towns like Union Beach continue to confront the destruction caused by Sandy and some significant portion of the municipality’s tax ratables may be lost forever, should citizens of the town never return, making it difficult for the town’s officials to provide needed municipal services.

As more people move to the coast, municipalities will see a dual challenge: protecting a growing population from coastal hazards, as well as protecting coastal ecosystems from a growing population. Population growth requires infrastructure like sewage treatment plants, schools, police and fire protection, libraries, and parks while at the same time federal, state, and municipal budgets are shrinking and less subsidies and programs to provide those necessities and amenities are available.

Open space preservation and habitat restoration will play an increasingly important role in the development of sustainable urban coast. Dunes, wetlands, and oyster reefs can provide “soft” and lower cost storm surge protection. These “Smart” growth methods that keeps new development or redevelopment out of harm’s way are non-structural protection measures that make sense in a climate constrained world.

The unprecedented destruction from Hurricane Sandy and the public policy challenges of its aftermath make this a critically important transformative period in New Jersey history, and a singular moment to demonstrate leadership. I urge Governor Christie and our County leaders, to seize this opportunity to initiate bold action resulting in lasting protections for New Jersey and Monmouth County and its urban coast’s economy, environment, and equity.

The Monmouth Conservation Foundation’s mission is to create a legacy of open space, parks and protected natural resources. Over the next decade we, along with other local land trusts and our government partners, intend to be more proactive in protecting vulnerable coastal habitats, and providing open space buffers in urban and urbanizing communities in the County. Not only will our urban coast be a safer place with these buffers in place, but the quality of life will also be improved with more open space per capita, and the value added to urban development adjacent to this open space.