Great Egg Harbor Bay

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Great Egg Harbor Bay
Great Egg Harbor Bay (panoramic).jpg
Great Egg Harbor Bay facing west, with the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, Beesley's Point Generating Station, New Jersey Route 52, and the Rainbow Islands in background
USA New Jersey relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Great Egg Harbor Bay
LocationCounties of Atlantic and Cape May in New Jersey
Coordinates 39°18′15″N74°38′59″W / 39.30417°N 74.64972°W / 39.30417; -74.64972 Coordinates: 39°18′15″N74°38′59″W / 39.30417°N 74.64972°W / 39.30417; -74.64972
River sources Great Egg Harbor River
Ocean/sea sources Atlantic Ocean
Basin  countriesUnited States
Max. length5.0 mi (8 km)
Max. width2.8 mi (4.5 km)
Surface area8.5 sq mi (22 km2)
Islands Cowpens Island, Rainbow Islands
Settlements Ocean City, Somers Point, Upper Township, Seaview Harbor, Longport

Great Egg Harbor Bay (or Great Egg Harbor) is a bay between Atlantic and Cape May counties along the southern New Jersey coast. The name derives from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen May's description of the plentiful birds laying eggs, naming the waters Eyren Haven, which translates to Egg Harbor in English. The bay has a total area of 8.5 sq mi (22 km2). Its depth ranges from shallow waters in the southern extension, called Peck Bay, to a 33 ft (10 m) deep channel.

Contents

The Great Egg Harbor River and its 17  tributaries empty into the bay. During the Sangamonian interglacial period, the Great Egg Harbor River existed as a delta that covered much of southern Cape May County. Over time, the waterway shifted its course, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at the Great Egg Harbor Inlet between Ocean City and Longport. In the eastern periphery, the bay measures 5.0 mi (8 km) along the coast, bordered by Ocean City on the east.

History

During the Sangamonian interglacial period, melting glaciers formed rivers that carried sediment to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The formative Great Egg Harbor River existed as a delta at that time, covering much of what is now Cape May County. Over time, the river established its course to its present location. Currently, the Great Egg Harbor River and its 17 tributaries drain into the Great Egg Harbor Bay. The waterway enters the ocean between Ocean City and Longport at the Great Egg Harbor Inlet. [1] [2] [3]

The first people in the region were the Leni-Lenape, who fished, clammed, and bathed in the summer months. [4] In 1614, Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen May discovered the bay, surrounded by plentiful birds laying eggs. May named the waterway Eyren Haven, translated to Egg Harbor. In 1693, the court of Cape May County appointed John Somers to operate the ferry service across the Great Egg Harbor Bay to Cape May County. That year, Somers purchased land from Thomas Budd, naming the property Somerset Plantation. John Somers' son, Richard, built Somers Mansion sometime between 1720 and 1726, which remains the oldest house still in existence in the county. The town name was changed to Somers Ferry, and then Somers Plantation, until the name Somers Point became established in 1750. [5] [6] [7] During the 17th and 18th centuries, pirates and other boaters used Great Egg Harbor Bay as refuge. [8] In 1880, one year after Ocean City was established as a Christian resort, regular steamboat service from Somers Point began. [9] In 1897, the eastern boundaries of Peck Bay and Great Egg Harbor Bay served as the boundaries of newly established Ocean City. [10]

Crossings

In 1907, the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad railroad line began operations, running from Atlantic City to Ocean City via Somers Point. The railroad's bridge across the Great Egg Harbor Bay burned in 1946, and was not rebuilt; the line was abandoned in 1948. [11] In 1914, the Ocean City Automobile Bridge Company financed the construction of a toll bridge linking Somers Point and Ocean City. [12] In 1921, the bridge became free when it was bought by the state of New Jersey, and was entirely replaced by the World War Memorial Bridge in 1933. [8] This bridge, designated New Jersey Route 52, was itself replaced by a wider and taller bridge in 2012. [13]

In 1928, a bridge in northern Ocean City opened, crossing Great Egg Harbor Inlet to marshlands in Atlantic County. [8] Also in 1928, the Ocean City Automobile Club financed the Beesley's Point Bridge, which connected Somers Point to Beesley's Point, New Jersey via the Great Egg Harbor Bay. This bridge was closed in 2004 due to damage, and was demolished in 2016. [14] [15] In 1955, the Great Egg Harbor Bridge was built, and a parallel bridge carrying northbound traffic of the Garden State Parkway opened in 1973. [16] The 1955 bridge was replaced in 2016, and the northbound bridge was subsequently refurbished, with completion in 2019. [17] [18]

Features

Map of Great Egg Harbor Bay, surrounding waterways, and nearby towns Great Egg Harbour.svg
Map of Great Egg Harbor Bay, surrounding waterways, and nearby towns

At the head of the Great Egg Harbor Bay, the Great Egg Harbor River joins the Middle and Tuckahoe Rivers between Upper Township and Egg Harbor Township. The bay is part of New Jersey's backbarrier lagoon system. [2] The bay exists as a drowned, or submerged, river valley. The waterway covers an area of 8.5 sq mi (22 km2), measuring 5.0 mi (8 km) along the coast, and extending 2.8 mi (4.5 km) inland. The tidal range varies from a 5.0 ft (1.52 m) spring tide to a 2.3 ft (0.7 m) neap tide. [19] Coastal storms can cause extreme tidal variations. [20] The bay has a salinity between 17 and 32 ppt (parts per thousand), classified as polyhaline. The tidal circulation of the bay is counterclockwise, fed by the deep channels. [19] The quality of the water is good, despite nearby urban development and dissolved oxygen. Stormwater drains in nearby Ocean City feed directly into the bay. [20]

Adjacent to the bay is 18,932 acres (7,662 ha) of salty marshes, which in the western portion of the bay is part of Lester G. McNamara Wildlife Management Area. The bay is also bounded by sandy beaches and settlements. Water depth in the bay range from less than 3.3 ft (1 m) to greater than 33 ft (10 m) in the main water channel, which extends from the Great Egg Harbor Inlet to the mouth of the Tuckahoe and Great Egg Harbor rivers. [2]

The channels in the bay carry sand and shell debris to the Great Egg Harbor Inlet. [2] At the inlet, the shifting currents produce a hazardous waterway to boats, due to changes in the channel related to shoaling. [21] To improve navigation and replenish beaches in Ocean City, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has periodically dredged sand from a location 5,000 ft (1,500 m) offshore the Great Egg Harbor Inlet. [22]

Peck's Bay is a shallow extension of Great Egg Harbor Bay, [23] located on the waterway's southern periphery between Ocean City and the Cape May County mainland. Peck's Bay also serves as part of the Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the Great Egg Harbor Bay with Crook Horn Creek. This waterway is along the west side of Ocean City, which reaches the ocean at Corson Inlet, and also continues as the Intercoastal southward through Cape May County. [21]

Islands

Sediment from the rivers produce shoals and mudflats, which rise out of the bay to form a series of marshy islands. [2] The islands are gradually eroding at a rate of 0.28 in (7 mm) per year, due to rising sea levels. [19] From 1940 to 1991, the islands decreased in size by 5%. [19] Some of the largest islands include Cowpens Island and Shooting Island, both of which are adjacent to Ocean City. [8] Shooting Island, part of Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area, has been eroding since at least 1930. In 2018, Act Engineers Inc. began a $2.75 million project to install 1,450 ft (440 m) of concrete blocks, which would provide shelter for oysters and restore the island's marshes. [24] [25] In the middle of the bay are the Rainbow Islands, which total 250 acres (100 ha) in area, but which are submerged during high tide. [20] [8]

Ecosystem

The waterway and its channels carrying silt produce a soft bottom, creating a good habitat for shellfish that covers a 706 acres (286 ha) area. [19] [26] Other invertebrates in the bay include mussels, barnacles, amphipods, mysids, and worms. In shallow waters where sunlight can reach the bottom, algae and seagrasses grow. The bay serves as breeding grounds for hard clams and oysters. There are 32 species of fish in the bay, [2] including six species that use the bay as spawning grounds. The endangered Leatherback sea turtle, and other turtle species, occupy the coastal waters of New Jersey, including in the bay. [20] Dozens of bird species use the water and adjacent marsh lands as breeding grounds. [2] Cowpens Island, located within the bay, is a bird sanctuary and a heron rookery. [8] [20] The region is one of the top 20 migratory bird locations in the country. [26]

Industry

By the 18th century, Somers Point had several shipyards along the Great Egg Harbor Bay, supporting the shipbuilding industry. [7] Shellfish harvesting is allowed from November 1 to April 30. [20] Jet ski operations are popular along the bay in the summertime. [20]

The barrier islands to the north and south – Ocean City and Longport – are heavily developed, with bulkheads modifying the natural coastline. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape May County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are five barrier islands that have been built up as seaside resorts. A consistently popular summer destination with 30 miles (48 km) of beaches, Cape May County attracts vacationers from New Jersey and surrounding states, with the summer population exceeding 750,000. Tourism generates annual revenues of about $6.6 billion as of 2018, making it the county's single largest industry. The associated leisure and hospitality industries are Cape May's largest employers. Its county seat is the Cape May Court House section of Middle Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Atlantic County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534. Its county seat is the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township. The county is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 52</span> Highway in New Jersey

Route 52 is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway runs 2.74 mi (4.41 km) from 9th Street in Ocean City, Cape May County north to U.S. Route 9 in Somers Point, Atlantic County. It is composed mostly of a series of four-lane divided bridges over Great Egg Harbor Bay from Ocean City to Somers Point known as the Howard S. Stainton Memorial Causeway, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge. The remainder of the route is a surface road called MacArthur Boulevard that runs from the causeway to U.S. Route 9. This section of the route formerly included the Somers Point Circle, now a traffic light, where Route 52 intersects County Route 559 and County Route 585.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey</span> Township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States

Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 47,842, an increase of 4,519 (+10.4%) from the 2010 census count of 43,323, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,597 (+41.0%) from the 30,726 counted in the 2000 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean City, New Jersey</span> City in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somers Point, New Jersey</span> City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States

Somers Point is a city that is the oldest settlement in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was settled by Europeans in 1693 and was incorporated as a borough in 1886. Somers Point was incorporated as a city in 1902. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,469, a decrease of 326 (−3.0%) from the 2010 census count of 10,795, which in turn reflected a decline of 819 (−7.1%) from the 11,614 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 152</span> State highway in New Jersey, US

Route 152 is a 3.16-mile-long (5.09 km) state highway in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. Route 152 begins at an intersection with County Route 620 (CR 620) and Bay Avenue in the city of Somers Point. The route heads along two causeways, ending at the foot of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Egg Harbor Township, where the state turns maintenance back to Atlantic County as County Route 629 to Longport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary</span> One of the most intricate natural harbors in the world

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnegat Bay</span> Body of water

Barnegat Bay is a small brackish arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 42 miles (68 km) long, along the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. It is separated from the Atlantic by the long Island Beach State Park, as well as by the north end of Long Beach Island, popular segments of the Jersey Shore. The bay is fed by several small rivers, including the Toms River, the Forked River, the Metedeconk River, Cedar Creek, Oyster Creek, Mill Creek, the Westecunk Creek and the Tuckerton Creek which empty into the bay through small estuaries along its inner shore. The communities of Toms River, Silverton, and Forked River sit along the river estuaries on the bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Drive (New Jersey)</span> Highway in New Jersey

Ocean Drive is a series of local roads in southern New Jersey, connecting Atlantic City to Cape May along barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of several roads and includes all five toll bridges owned by the Cape May County Bridge Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absecon Island</span> Island on the Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean

Absecon Island is a barrier island located on the Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County, New Jersey. On the island from north to south are the resort communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport. The island ends at Absecon Inlet to the north and Great Egg Harbor Inlet to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Egg Harbor Bridge</span> Bridge

The Great Egg Harbor Bridge is a series of four bridges along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, with tolls collected in the southbound direction. It crosses the Great Egg Harbor Bay, connecting Upper Township, in Cape May County to Somers Point in Atlantic County. The bridge crosses over a section of Egg Harbor Township, and Drag Island. It carries a portion of U.S. Route 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 9 in New Jersey</span> Highway in New Jersey

U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to Champlain, New York. In New Jersey, it runs from Cape May to Fort Lee northwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B.L. England Generating Station</span> Power plant in New Jersey

The B.L. England Generating Station, also called Beesley's Point Generating Station, was a power plant in Upper Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, on the Great Egg Harbor River. The facility provided approximately 450 megawatts of generating capacity from three generating units. Two units burned coal (and up to 7 percent Tire-derived fuel) and the third unit burned bunker C oil. Its large smokestack, altered to resemble a lighthouse, contained a sulfur dioxide scrubber which removed the SO2 from the flue gas and converted it into gypsum, which can be sold. The scrubber allowed the two coal units to use less expensive high sulfur coal from West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beesley's Point Bridge</span> Bridge

The Beesley's Point Bridge was a bridge in New Jersey, United States, that was built privately by the Ocean City Automobile Club in 1927. Completed in 1928, control of the bridge was acquired by the Beesley's Point Bridge Company. It was a toll bridge from its opening. Prior to its closing, it was best known for carrying U.S. Route 9 (US 9) over the Great Egg Harbor Bay, connecting Upper Township, in Cape May County to Somers Point in Atlantic County. The bridge concurrently carried the Garden State Parkway over the Great Egg Harbor Bay from the Parkway's opening in 1954 until a separate bridge over the bay for the Parkway, the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, opened in 1955.

Ocean Highway was a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Legislated in 1909 as Ocean Boulevard, it was New Jersey's first state highway. Amending legislation in 1910 changed the designation to Ocean Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean City Life-Saving Station (New Jersey)</span> United States historic place

The Ocean City Life-Saving Station is the only life-saving station of its design in New Jersey still in existence. Designed by architect James Lake Parkinson in a Carpenter Gothic style, the building is one of 25 stations built of the 1882 life-saving type. It is also one of six still in existence in the country. Construction on the facility began in September 1885 and was completed in the following year. There were two earlier stations in the northern end of Ocean City before this facility was constructed, and there were two stations farther south on the island.

Pecks Beach or Peck's Beach is a barrier island located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, New Jersey.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet is an inlet connecting Great Egg Harbor Bay with the Atlantic Ocean in New Jersey, forming a part of the boundary between Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

References

  1. ↑ Carol S. Lucey (1976). Geology of Cape May County in Brief (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. pp. 7–8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Joseph Dowhan; Thomas Halavik; Andrew Milliken; Andrew MacLachlan; Marcianna Caplis; Kelly Lima; Andrew Zimba (November 1997). "Great Egg Harbor Estuary Complex #3". Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  3. ↑ "Starting as a trickle near Berlin, NJ". National Park Service. March 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ Robert F. Holden (February 27, 2017). "History of the Ten Villages of Upper Township: Marmora". Shore News Today. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  5. ↑ "History of Egg Harbor Township". Government of Egg Harbor Township. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ "New Jersey State Historic Sites". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. January 3, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Guide to Historic Tour of Somers Point" (PDF). Somers Point Historical Society.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fred Miller (2003). Ocean City: America's Greatest Family Resort. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 11, 46, 153. ISBN   0-7385-2447-6.
  9. ↑ "History of Ocean City, NJ". VisitNJShore.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ Acts of the One Hundred and Twenty-first Legislature of the State of New Jersey. Trenton, New Jersey: MacCrellish and Quigley, Current Printers. 1897. p.  107.
  11. ↑ George Woodman Hilton; John Fitzgerald Due (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. p. 307. ISBN   9780804740142.
  12. ↑ National Register of Historic Places; Registration Form (PDF) (Report). United States National Park Service. February 7, 1997. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ Jacqueline L. Urgo (May 17, 2012). "Route 52 Causeway ready for the season in Ocean City, N.J." The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ↑ Lee Procida (December 19, 2012). "Closed bridge ties Beesleys Point to the quiet life". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ Columb Higgins (November 18, 2016). "Blast demolishes last of Beesleys Point Bridge". Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ Michael Miller (March 2, 2011). "Parkway to replace southbound Great Egg Harbor bridge; demolition pushed for Beesleys Point Bridge". Press of Atlantic City.
  17. ↑ John DeRosier (October 18, 2016). "Parkway traffic eases over Great Egg Harbor bridge". Press of Atlantic City.
  18. ↑ Jacqueline L. Urgo (January 15, 2017). "Get ready for two more years of traffic headaches at the Jersey shore". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Norbert P. Psuty; Tanya M. Silveira. "Geomorphological Evolution of Estuaries: The Dynamic Basis for Morpho-Sedimentary Units in Selected Estuaries in the Northeastern United States" (PDF). Marine Fisheries Review. 71 (3): 38–39. ISSN   0090-1830.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NJ Route 52 (1) Causeway Between City of Somers Point, Atlantic County, and Ocean City, Cape May County Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PDF) (Report). United States Department of Transportation. August 2000. III-62, III-77, III-89, III-116, III-118, III-130, IV-II, I-13. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Peter L. Griffes (2004). "Intracoastal Waterway". Atlantic Boating Almanacs: Sandy Hook, NJ To St. Johns River, Fl & Bermuda. Atlantic Boating Almanac. Vol. 3. pp. 161, 174–175. ISBN   9781577855033.
  22. ↑ "New Jersey Shore Protection, Great Egg Harbor and Peck Beach, (Ocean City), NJ". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  23. ↑ Studies of The Great Egg Harbor River and Bay (Report). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 1972. p. 126.
  24. ↑ Avalon Zoppo (December 31, 2018). "How to ease island flooding? Some Jersey shore towns are using bayside islets". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  25. ↑ Michelle Brunetti (July 25, 2018). "Ocean City proposes $3.2 million plan to rebuild wetlands" . Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  26. 1 2 "NJ Route 52 (1) Causeway Between City of Somers Point, Atlantic County, and Ocean City, Cape May County Federal #BRF-0070103 Technical Environmental Study". United States Department of Transportation. August 2000.
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