North Wildwood, NJ: History of Beach Nourishment

Why One of the Jersey Shore's Most Iconic Towns is Still Waiting on its Federal Beach Nourishment Project

North Wildwood sits at the northern tip of Five Mile Island, a barrier island in Cape May County that is home to some of the most popular beaches on the Jersey Shore.

Nearly the entire 127-mile New Jersey coastline has a completed federal shore protection project. North Wildwood is the exception.

The city has experienced 1,100 feet of shoreline retreat since the 1990's. Although North Wildwood has had 2 emergency renourishments in the past, it has no permanent federal project to restore chronic erosion.

While the project was federally authorized and 100% funded by the state and federal government, the participating towns debated the project design, ultimately delaying the project for over a decade.

As a result, North Wildwood has spent $30 million of its own money to protect residents and public infrastructure while also taking the lead working with Congress, the Corps of Engineers and the NJDEP to reformulate the project design so that all towns agree.

An emergency beach nourishment project conducted by the State of New Jersey in 2024 was a remarkable success and is helping to protect the city through 2028, when the Corps of Engineers is expected to start construction on a project designed for North Wildwood.

Legislation to expedite the reformulation study for North Wildwood is expected to be passed by Congress later this year. The study is estimated to be completed by 2028 and then the project can immediately begin construction.