Officials say the federal funds for Ocean City's beach nourishment will restore the defenses that protect the city from storms.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) highlighted on Monday an advance in the $3 million federal investment necessary for Ocean City's beach nourishment.
Cardin hosted a press conference on the Ocean City Boardwalk along with other officials, including Mayor Richard Meehan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager Justin Callahan to discuss critical infrastructure projects.
The beach is a major selling point that draws people into Ocean City, but Cardin also emphasized that the beach protects the city against storms.
With each storm eating away at that protection, Cardin said, the federal investment in this project is crucial to restoring that defense, which will prevent property damage.
Originally, the funding was expected to come in fiscal year 2018, but advancing the funding in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' fiscal year 2017 work plan will ensure the project is completed in a timely manner, he said.
"That $3 million is the best investment we can make," Cardin said. "We get a great return from that $3 million investment, and that's been made very clear to us."
Van Hollen noted the beach replenishment project is one of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' two major projects in Maryland.
When people think of Ocean City, he said they think of the boardwalk, restaurants, fishing and recreational activities — all of which are connected to the beach.
By drawing people to the city, Van Hollen said the beach creates economic opportunity, making the renourishment project a "vital economic lifeline" for the state.
"If we don't maintain and nourish and preserve the beach, we not only lose this incredible natural resource, but we lose all the economic and job opportunities with it," he said.
Callahan said his commitment to the beach nourishment project extends beyond his professional career all the way back to his childhood, when his parents and grandparents would bring him to Ocean City in the summers.
With his own children now visiting Ocean City, he said that as project manager he is honored to play a role in preserving the beach for future generations.
The project consists of a wide, elevated beach running from Fourth Street to the Delaware state line, backed by a seawall along the boardwalk and a vegetative dune system, Callahan said, with the sand acting as a buffer between the ocean and the dune system.
It was designed to be renourished periodically, which he said has generally been about every four years. However, recent storms have sped up that cycle.
The upcoming contract will begin sometime after Labor Day and wrap up before the start of the 2018 beach season, Callahan said. The renourishment will involve placing about 900,000 cubic yards of sand dredged from offshore shoals on the beach and will hopefully protect the city for the next four years.
"When you look at the cost of the project so far and the damages prevented, you're talking about something close to a 10 to 1 return on investment, so it's quite impressive," Callahan said.
Meehan said such projects are made possible by collaboration among state and local officials.
Since 1990, he noted that the team effort to ensure the beach's nourishment has helped to prevent an estimated $900 million in damage to Ocean City properties.
"Ocean City would not be the premiere destination it is today without the support of our partners on these projects," Meehan said.