More sand is on the horizon for the decaying beaches of a Jersey Shore resort town

A decades-long conflict over the condition of a New Jersey resort’s beaches that has drawn tens of millions of dollars in litigation and fines may soon be coming to an end.

Patrick Rosenello, the mayor of North Wildwood, says his city has reached an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to drop both sides’ claims and move forward with measures to widen beaches in the community, which have attracted tourists from the Philadelphia area are popular.

The agreement, scheduled to be voted on by the North Wildwood Council on Tuesday, would resolve any outstanding disputes between the parties, the Republican mayor said. The tentative timing for restocking is sometime in 2025, he said.

The agreement includes lifting the $12 million fine New Jersey levied on North Wildwood for unauthorized beach repairs that the state says could actually worsen erosion. She also wants the city to drop a lawsuit against the state seeking reimbursement of the $30 million it spent over the last decade transporting sand for emergency repairs to eroded stretches of beach.

“We agreed that we would focus on protecting our beaches rather than suing each other,” Rosenello said Wednesday.

At the root of the dispute is the fact that North Wildwood is virtually the only community on the Jersey Shore that has not yet received a full beach replenishment project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Officials say difficulty obtaining easements from affected property owners contributed to the delay.

Erosion had become so severe in parts of North Wildwood that protective sand dunes were destroyed, leaving homes and businesses vulnerable to flooding and wave damage in the event of a severe storm. Sometime in January, Rosenello posed on the beach with what was left of a dune that barely reached his knees.

The state Department of Transportation conducted an interim replenishment project last summer after Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy called erosion in North Wildwood “shocking.” Rosenello said work progressed well in the following months.

The Environment Ministry declined to comment on the proposed agreement. Rosenello predicted it would be approved by the council and signed and sent to the state on Tuesday.

In addition to ending the litigation, North Wildwood will contribute $1 million toward the eventual cost of the federal beach replenishment project once it arrives in the city and contribute $700,000 to a state water pollution control fund, the mayor said.

The agreement also establishes a clear regulatory path for North Wildwood to obtain the environmental permits it needs to undertake other coastal protection work, including expanding a seawall.

On several occasions, North Wildwood made emergency repairs, including building a previous partition wall without state approval. New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette warned the city in 2023 that unpermitted work could have more serious consequences if it continued, including the possible loss of future coastal protection funding.