Seaside Park Anti-Flood Pump System Could Expand Along Bayfront Once Installed

The 13th Avenue Pier and boat ramp in Seaside Park. (Photo: Shorebeat)

An ambitious plan to use underground pumps to remove water from flood-plagued Bayview Avenue in Seaside Park could expand beyond the first pump station planned in the southernmost portion of town if the system proves worthwhile, officials said.

Last week, borough officials awarded a $45,000 contract to Remington and Vernick Engineering (RVE) to design the specifications for the pump system, which will be installed near the 14th Street boat ramp. Calling the prospective project a “proof of concept,” Councilman William Kraft said the first pump will be evaluated with the possibility of it becoming part of a network of pumps along the bayfront that will physically remove water from roadways instead of relying on gravity-powered outfall pipes.

“We expect this to work, and it will be a proof of concept,” said Kraft, adding that the system will likely be installed after the 2025 summer season is over.

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“It says it will take six to nine months to complete, and it’s located near the boat ramp, so it will have to be scheduled far out,” he said.

The pump itself will not be visible to visitors at the recreation area along the bay between 13th and 14th avenues that includes the boat ramp, a walking path, gazebo and fishing pier that extends out into Barnegat Bay. It will be located underground near the boat ramp on the north side of the area, where a storm drain is currently located. Plans call for two or three pumps which will propel water through one chamber. In its most likely design, a concrete cover will be the only visible sign the system is present – except, of course, for a lack of flood water.

Once the pumps have been installed, existing outfall pipes will be eliminated.

“It’s a good area to test it, too, because that is particularly prone to flooding there,” said Councilman Joseph Connor.

The Seaside Park butterfly garden at the 14th Avenue Pier. (Photo: Seaside Park Beautification Committee)

The borough is still hoping it receives approval from the federal government to build out its longest-term anti-flood measure, which consists of a living shoreline and an extension of the bay beach berm. Though local, county and state approvals were obtained for the project, the federal government has blocked the plan over concerns that it would obstruct seaweed growth, known formally as “submerged aquatic vegetation.”

The federal government has largely conceded – after physical walk-throughs of the area – that there is no submarine plant growth along Bayview Avenue, but has continued to deny the permit since the area could see growth in the future. Officials are hopeful that the change in presidential administrations will bring forth more cooperative permitting policies.