Governor Chris Christie is worried about a “mind-boggling” amount of debris submerged just below the surface in the state’s bays and estuaries, the North Jersey Record reports (“Submerged superstorm Sandy debris threatens tourism,” by Wayne Parry/AP).
“In Mantoloking alone, 58 buildings and 8 cars were washed into Barnegat Bay,” Christie said in his State of the State speech in January — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
With spring fishing just around the corner and summer not far behind, officials are eager to make progress on the problem, the Press of Atlantic City reports (“State looks to clear lagoons clogged with debris by Hurricane Sandy,” by Donna Weaver). “The cleanup needs to begin soon if it is to be completed before the start of the summer boating season, but problems could arise as early as March, when fishermen flock to the waterways in search of stripers,” the paper reports.
“You ride around and you can see docks hanging half on land and half in the water and wood debris,” Little Egg Harbor official Michael Fromosky told the Press. “As Gov. Christie said, all the money that the water generates in this state no one is going to come down if they can’t use the water and go boating and swimming.”
