New Jersey may trim dunes to build up beaches

New Jersey has been working to build up its dunes, at times squaring off in court with opponents who complain about the loss of their ocean views. But it’s now planning to trim some dunes and use the sand to widen the beaches in front of them. The plan comes as a federal policy makes a traditional sand pumping site off limits to federally-funded projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the Hereford Inlet pumping site was improperly being used to encourage development along fragile coastal barriers. Officials say many of the existing dunes are much higher than minimum standards, and using sand from them could allow the beaches to be widened without relying on sand from offshore.

Read more from the Associated Press here.