Damp Jersey Shore town ponders a fix for ‘sunny day’ floods

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press

BAY HEAD, N.J. (AP) — An elite but often-underwater beach town at the Jersey Shore is looking for its own solutions to back bay flooding, deciding it can’t wait for state and federal officials to agree on a fix. Bay Head wants to prevent or at least reduce incidents of so-called “sunny day” flooding caused by tides and rising sea levels, as well as major storm-related floods. State and federal officials have proposed a massive $16 billion plan to address back bay flooding, the kind that rises gradually as bays swell with rising tides or during storms. Bay Head is examining fixes including building an earthen embankment around a coastal lake. No cost estimates were given, but officials expect it to cost a lot.