North Wildwood Continues Beach Protection Work

North Wildwood is continuing its beach protection strategy by extending its seawall plan from Second to Seventh Street and creating a new bulkhead north of the Beach Patrol headquarters, for which a state permit is pending.

The North Wildwood community is focused on these efforts following two hard-hitting storms over the last few months.

According to The Cape May County Herald , Mayor Patrick Rosenello said his community had been dealing with the effects of an August storm, Hurricane Erin, when the Oct. 12-13 nor'easter targeted an area of beach where sand was placed in the spring of 2024.

The area most damaged by recent storms was between 13th and 16th streets, where dunes and beachfront infrastructure, including the Beach Patrol headquarters at 15th Street, suffered significant damage.

Rosenello noted that North Wildwood's beach protection strategy aligns with nearby towns like Strathmere and Avalon, which combine hard structures (seawalls) with sand nourishment to balance protection and beach health. Natural sand accretion near Seventh to Ninth streets and sandbars from Hereford Inlet create variability in shoreline width and dune dynamics, he explained.

A 2024 beach replenishment in North Wildwood used dredged ocean sand, which the mayor said performs better and lasts longer than trucked dry sand, contributing to shoreline stability.