Long Branch, New Jersey served as the site for the 90th Coastal Engineering Research Board (CERB) that met during the first week of September.
Hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division and the Army Corps’ New York and Philadelphia Districts, the meeting explored impacts due to Sandy, water resources infrastructure and coastlines of North Atlantic Division, and research needs associated with sustaining resilient coastal communities and systems through risk reduction, regional sediment management, and ecosystem restoration activities.
The CERB is congressionally mandated to advise the Chief of Engineers on matters pertaining to coastal engineering and provides broad policy guidance and review of plans and fund requirements for the conduct of research and development of research projects in consonance with the needs of the coastal engineering field and the objectives of the Chief of Engineers. The Board is comprised of the Army Corps’ Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, three Army Corps commanders of coastal divisions, and three civilian members from academia and private sector who are national leaders in the field of coastal engineering.
Army Corps participants included Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, Commanding General/Chief of Engineers; Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Brig. Gen. Kent Savre, Commander, Army Corps’ North Atlantic Division; Brig. Gen. Donald Jackson, Commander, Army Corps’ South Atlantic Division, Brig. Gen. David Turner, Commander, Army Corps’ South Pacific Division and Col. Jeffrey Eckstein, Commander, Army Corps’ Engineer Research; Development Center. Civilian non-Corps participants included William Hanson, Vice President, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company; John Headland, Senior Vice President, Moffatt & Nichol Engineers and David Kriebel, Professor, U.S. Naval Academy.
Also in attendance were Col. Paul Owen, Commander, Army Corps' New York District and Lt. Col. Chris Becking, Commander, Philadelphia District.
Over 90 people attended the event with various briefings being presented for three days that included presentations about federal, state and city responses, forecasting and the National Hurricane Program. North Atlantic Division’s Roselle Henn, Deputy Director of the Army Corps’ National Planning Center of Expertise for Coastal Storm Risk Management served as panel moderator and spoke about the USACE North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study.
Briefings were also presented by the Army Corps’ New York District Donald Cresitello on the Sandy Coastal Projects Performance Evaluation Study and by Lynn Bocamazo on Coastal Breach Closures.
The agenda also included a tour along Sandy impacted areas of northern coastal New Jersey during a field trip to Sea Bright, Union Beach, Mantoloking and Ortley Beach.
An Executive Session was held on the last day of the CERB meeting which included discussions about ongoing initiatives and future actions.