NJ Members Issue Letter To EPA, Army Corps Requesting Explanation Of How Debris Reached Beaches

Washington - Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) today issued a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agencies responsible for protecting the New Jersey coastline, to determine what went wrong this past Labor Day weekend when trash and other debris washed ashore in Ocean County and forced several beaches to close.

Several beaches along the Jersey Shore were closed during part of the busy holiday weekend because of the trash that washed ashore. The source of the waste -- which beachgoers said included syringes, tampon applicators and gauze -- was not immediately known.

"Too many Labor Day holidays were cut short when garbage washed ashore and forced authorities to close our beaches," said Sen. Lautenberg. "Beachgoers are supposed to be protected from these slicks by a coordinated effort of surveillance and response from state and federal agencies. We need to know what went wrong so we can keep our beaches open and prevent this from happening again."

"The thousands of vacationers who were disappointed by closed beaches over the holiday weekend know firsthand that the plan to keep the shore clean must be solidified," said Sen. Menendez. "It's priority for our state's environment, for our state's economy and for all of us who love the Jersey Shore."

"Since 1989, we have worked to improve beach quality along the Jersey Shore with the Floatables Action Plan," Rep. Pallone said. "Along the way, EPA made changes to address problems that arose. After the garbage wash-up in Ocean County over the Labor Day Weekend, it's clear that EPA needs to once again investigate what went wrong so that we can continue to strengthen this program to protect beachgoers in the future."

The Floatables Action Plan was developed in 1989 in response to the massive garbage slicks and beach closures that took place the previous two summers. Numerous agencies coordinate efforts to carry out this plan, which works to prevent garbage from washing ashore by conducting aerial surveillance for slicks in the New York/New Jersey Harbor. These agencies are charged with cleaning up slicks as quickly as possible.

The agencies, including the EPA, are responsible for conducting aerial surveillance to search for floating debris. If and when debris is located, these agencies are supposed to notify the US Army Corps of Engineers, which then sends skimmer vessels to the area for clean-up.

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The following is the letter Sen. Lautenberg, Sen. Menendez and Rep. Pallone issued to the EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers.

The Honorable Alan Steinberg

Administrator, Region 2

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20460

Colonel Aniello L. Tortora
New York District
United States Corps of Engineers
26 Federal Plaza
New York, New York 10278

Dear Regional Administrator Steinberg and Colonel Tortora:

We are writing in response to the recent reports of large amounts of garbage and debris washing up on the beaches of New Jersey. We are greatly disturbed that the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary "Floatables Action Plan" did not identify and prevent the heavy wash-up of garbage that led to beach closures over the holiday weekend. The debris has caused beach closings in Normandy Beach, NJ, and many other municipalities reported greater than usual amounts of trash on their beaches. In addition, during the week of August 20^th, a forewarning wash-up occurred along the northern Bayshore region and caused beach closures in Middletown, NJ.

As you know, in 1989 the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 designed the "Floatables Action Plan" to identify and remove garbage slicks from the New York/New Jersey Harbor, to prevent beach closures and adverse impacts on coastal species and commercial and recreational boating. To date, the plan has been successful in reducing garbage in the harbor and subsequently diminished the number of beach closures resulting from debris waste.

However the recent beach closures raise serious questions about the "Floatables Action Plan." Please provide information on whether there was a breakdown in the Plan that led to this debris wash-up. In addition, please identify any suggested changes that may lead to the improvement of the Plan and provide information on whether this Plan is adequately funded.

It is important to our constituents that we work together to address these problems. Our coastal environment has been steadily improving over the last 15 years, thanks to the collective efforts of many federal, state and local agencies. We must continue to work together so that we do not go back to the time when debris and trash plagued our waterways and beaches.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to continuing to work together.

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