Flood Risk and Coastal Public Access in NJ
An assessment of potential flood impacts to public access on New Jersey's coast.
Public Access and Flooding
New Jersey coastal areas. Image credit: NJDEP
New Jersey law ensures the public’s right to access coastal shorelines and waters. To help people know where to access tidal waterways and get information about the amenities at each location, the state has an online map that shows over 3,900 public access points.
However, the impacts of climate change are likely to affect public access to New Jersey’s coast. Many locations are already experiencing flooding several times each year from high tides, sea level rise, and/or storms.
Assessing flood risk and identifying adaptation options are critical to building resilience to flood impacts on public access.
The Assessment
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection directed a team from Rutgers University to assess flood risk at public access points in 15 municipalities across New Jersey’s diverse coastal regions.
Significant inundation events along the coast are often caused by the cumulative effects of multiple flooding types, such as:
Components of total water level. Image credit: Vanessa Tropiano, Rutgers University
- Sea level rise (i.e., permanent inundation)
- High tide flooding (i.e., sunny-day flooding)
- Storm surge (i.e., hurricanes and nor’easters)
Planning for the potential cumulative impacts of multiple flooding types is called a Total Water Level approach. This assessment focused on flood risk to public access locations and amenities at Total Water Levels of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW). MHHW is the average level of the highest tide each day.
The assessment found that most of the public access locations begin experiencing flood risks to amenities when water levels reach 1-3 feet above MHHW. By 7 feet above MHHW, there are potential impacts to the majority of amenities as shown on the infographic below.
Infographic depicting the percentage of amenities impacted at 7ft total water above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW). Image Credit: Vanessa Tropiano, Rutgers Univeristy
For more information about climate change and sea level rise in New Jersey, please visit NJ Adapt.
Public Access Site Map
The assessment included 50 locations with over 90 public access points and 275 amenities as shown on the map below. Zoom in on the map below for more information about flood risk at each location.
Public access locations and flood exposure assessments.
Featured Public Access Locations
Foschini Park, Hackensack
- Provides fishing and visual access to Hackensack River
- Includes recreational fields, parking lots, playgrounds, a building with restrooms and food and drink, picnic area, and walking path along the shoreline
Flood Risk at Foschini Park
The table above shows how much of the access point’s parcel(s) and associated amenities are potentially inundated at each water level, displayed as percent of the area.
- Inundation risk begins at 2 feet above MHHW on the north side of the park.
- At 3 feet above MHHW, potential inundation of East Camden Street, impacting access to the park.
- At 7 feet above MHHW, risk of flooding across most of the area.
Potential Adaptation Action(s):
- Decommission or relocate park amenities as water levels become consistently higher due to future sea level rise.
- Relocate the point landward in the future in cooperation with adjacent commercial development.
- Explore opportunities to use green stormwater infrastructure in lawn areas.
- Assess buildings and infrastructure to determine specific flood risks and opportunities to decrease vulnerability.
- Limit new investments to facilities in the south half of the park where the elevation is higher.
- Assess the shoreline to determine options to decrease vulnerability such as a living shoreline, improved riparian vegetation, and/or conversion of part of the park to a tidal wetland.
- The park falls within a NJDEP Overburdened Community. Approximately 44% of the census block group’s residents qualify as low-income households and 88% identify as minority. Account for equitable water access and include underrepresented groups in adaptation decisions.
Bayshore Waterfront Park, Middletown
- Monmouth County Park
- Provides fishing, visual, and beach access to Raritan Bay.
- Includes pier, parking lots, activity center (historic building), and park area
Flood Risk at Bayshore Waterfront Park
The table above shows how much of the access point’s parcel(s) and associated amenities are potentially inundated at each water level, displayed as percent of the area.
- Inundation risk to surrounding community at 3 feet above MHHW.
- Inundation risk to the property and shoreline at 5 feet above MHHW.
- Park amenities located in an area of higher elevation with low flood risk up to 7 feet above MHHW (except parking lot on west side of park).
Potential Adaptation Action(s):
- Include adaptation of the point in broader discussions about increasing the resilience of the surrounding community.
- Continue to locate amenities in their existing area of higher elevation.
- Assess buildings to determine specific flood risks and opportunities to decrease vulnerability.
- Vulnerability to storm surge was not included in this assessment. The park’s vulnerability depends in part on the elevation and width of the beach berm which is maintained through a US Army Corps of Engineers beach renourishment project.
- Maintain dunes as a buffer against storm surge.
West End Beach, Long Branch
- Provides fishing, visual, and beach access to Atlantic Ocean.
- Includes ADA accessible beach ramp and amenities building with restroom and food and drink.
Flood Risk at West End Beach
The table above shows how much of the access point’s parcel(s) and associated amenities are potentially inundated at each water level, displayed as percent of the area.
- Amenities building has low inundation risk up to 7 feet above MHHW.
- Inundation risk to beach access ramp begins between 5 and 7 feet above MHHW.
Potential Adaptation Action(s):
- Expand the dune system with native salt-tolerant vegetation.
- Risk of impacts to the beach access ramp from erosion and/or storm surge is beyond the scope of this assessment. As a best practice, site selection for beach access ramps should favor areas with minimal erosion.
- This point falls within a NJDEP Overburdened Community. Approximately 46% of the census block group’s residents qualify as low-income households. Account for equitable water access and include underrepresented groups in adaptation decisions.
Absecon Boat Ramp
- Provides fishing, boating, and visual access to Absecon Creek
- Includes parking lot, benches, and boat launch
Flood Risk at Absecon Boat Ramp
The table above shows how much of the access point’s parcel(s) and associated amenities are potentially inundated at each water level, displayed as percent of the area.
- Inundation risk begins at 1 foot above MHHW
- At 2 feet above MHHW, risk of flooding across most of the area.
Potential Adpatation Actions(s):
- Maintain the current design until flooding becomes too frequent. While its low elevation makes this point vulnerable to inundation, the amenities have low sensitivity to flood impacts. Nearby areas of open space would face similar flood risks.
- Focus on maintaining access to the point from E Faunce Landing Road.
- Relocate the point further landward as water levels become consistently higher due to sea level rise. This would require cooperation with adjacent residential development.
Riverview Beach Park, Pennsville
- Provides fishing and visual access to Delaware River.
- Includes walking paths and benches, recreational fields/courts, two playgrounds, two parking lots, and restroom building.
Flood Risk at Riverview Beach Park
The table above shows how much of the access point’s parcel(s) and associated amenities are inundated ateach water level, displayed as percent of the area.
- Inundation risk begins at 3 feet above MHHW with potential impacts to amenities.
- At 5 feet above MHHW, risk of flooding across most of the area.
Potential Adaptation Action(s)
- Include adaptation of the point in broader discussions about increasing the resilience of the surrounding community.
- Locate future amenities in the area of higher elevation in the south corner of the park.
- Relocate the point to an area of higher elevation as water levels become consistently higher due to sea level rise.
- Assess buildings and infrastructure to determine specific flood risks and opportunities to decrease vulnerability.
- Explore opportunities to use green stormwater infrastructure in lawn areas.
The work was developed through a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Coastal Management Program and the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers, the State University, with financial assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Citation: Auermuller, L., Lathrop, R., Tropiano, V., Sacatelli, R., Habeck, A., Menke, C., Plantarich, A. 2022. Flood Risk and Coastal Public Access in New Jersey: A Story Map. ResearchGate, DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17405.84962/1
Ackowledments: A special thanks to the students who helped with field data collection and map creation: Jenna Myers, Gabriella Cano, Maite Whitley, Emelie Einhorn, and Ryleigh Hryc.
