“Efforts to dredge the Shark River have been a long time in the making and I am ecstatic that, with the help of our partners, we are bringing it to fruition,” Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “Eighteen years ago, I was a councilman in Neptune City when I first advocated for keeping the Shark River a viable waterway.”

A coalition of State, County and local leaders have effectively advocated for the project and also committed funding toward the dredging that is expected to begin before the end of 2015.

“After over two decades, there has finally been a bid awarded to dredge Shark River,” said Sen. Jennifer Beck (D11). “None of this could have been possible without the work of Freeholder Tom Arnone and Committeeman Randy Bishop. While the State is investing more than $5 million, this project would not have moved forwarded without the assistance of Monmouth County, which is accepting the dredged material at its landfill and helping to the fund the trucking costs.”

Sen. Beck, NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin and Nicole Minutoli, Director of Multimodal Services for New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) represented the interests of the State at the event.

“The Christie Administration has been very committed to making this project happen and, over the past 5-1/2 years, we have invested a lot of time and effort to find a solution,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. “We’re very happy about the cooperation that has occurred between the state, Monmouth County and the local governments to make this project happen.”

Minutoli made the project official when she announced that Mobile Dredging and Pumping Co., Chester, PA, was awarded the $7.6 million contract to restore the State channels to allow safe passage for recreational and commercial traffic.

“I’m happy to have been a part of this vital effort in our region. My thanks go out to all stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure that we save the Shark River. Every level of government had to work seamlessly to even get the project to this stage. I couldn’t be more pleased with the level of cooperation we have received” said Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop.

NJDOT identified viable solutions that included using innovative technologies to remove approximately 102,000 cubic yards of sediment comprised of sand and silt. The sediment will be hydraulically dredged and piped via a secure welded pipeline to the selected dewatering locations.

Two dewatering sites will be utilized – a portion of the Belmar Marina parking lot in Belmar and Shark River Island in Neptune Township. The dewatered material will then be trucked to the Monmouth County Reclamation Center for beneficial use.

The financial commitments breakdown as follows: Monmouth County $1.1 million; Neptune City $100,000; Neptune Township $450,000; Wall Township $315,000; Belmar amount pending approval of town council.

Mayors who attended the event included: Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, Neptune City Mayor Robert Brown, Wall Township Mayor George Newberry, Avon Mayor Robert Mahon and former Neptune City Mayor Thomas Catley. 

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