{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413314", "Star Ledger/NJ.com article'Work underway to remove gigantic sandbar from Jersey Shore inlet, officials say'", "2024-08-07", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "MANASQUAN RIVER, NJ, Aug 7, 2024\n\nNJ. com Everything New Jersey - Powered by Star Ledger\n\nNJ.com logo\n\nStar Ledger logo\n\nThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work Tuesday to remove the massive build-up of sand on the southern shore of the Manasquan Inlet that has concerned multiple local officials, authorities said.\n\nCrews from the Corps have started dredging the waterway and removing the sand on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet, according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist.\n\nIn a follow-up letter to Army Corps Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Beeman on Monday, Smith urged the Corps to take immediate action to mitigate what his office called a \u201cgrowing navigational hazard.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are very grateful to Lt. Col. Beeman and his team from the Philadelphia Army Corps for their quick response to our concerns over the dangerous shoaling in the Manasquan Inlet that poses serious navigational hazards to boaters during this especially busy time of the year on the Jersey Shore,\u201d Smith said in a release. \u201c(Point Pleasant Beach) Mayor (Doug) Vitale was also quick to help ensure that this important safety issue was raised and addressed as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nSmith added that while the weather and sea conditions would likely impact the dredging and sand removal efforts, he was confident the \u201cArmy Corps will continue to see this critical operation through to its end as quickly as possible.\u201d\n\nThe congressman said that in the meantime, beachgoers should remain off the sand bar at all times as the work being done by the Corps could make the shoal extremely unstable and unsafe.\n\nA spokesman from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday it was working to obtain hydrographic surveys of the current inlet conditions. Once they were completed, they would be posted online for mariners to access and would be shared with the Coast Guard.\n\nThat survey was completed earlier Tuesday, Smith said.\n\nThe same spokesman said Tuesday that the dredge crew did two cycles before the bad weather hit and that dredging would resume likely early next week when sea conditions allow for it. More dredging be done later this month as well.\n\nIt was unclear how long it would take the Corps to complete the dredging and removal of the shoal, which was likely formed \u201cdue in large part to the southerly wind we\u2019ve been having,\u201d Vitale wrote on his Facebook page. An Army Corps spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for additional information Tuesday.\n\nThis article was published by the Star Ledger/NJ.com on Aug. 7, 2024 and can be found online at:\n\nhttps://www.nj.com/monmouth/2024/08/work-underway-to-remove-gigantic-sandbar-from-nj-inlet-officials-say.htmlhttps://www.nj.com/monmouth/2024/08/work-underway-to-remove-gigantic-sandbar-from-nj-inlet-officials-say.html", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413314"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7051248103380203, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}