We worked with the NJDEP Threatened and Endangered (T&E) Species Unit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to develop protocols to allow the debris removal to advance while maintaining regulatory compliance and protecting breeding and nesting areas. Our maritime archaeologists reviewed side scan sonar data to identify potentially historic sites, conducted site reconnaissance, and mapped objects and their buffers. The debris removal activities revealed more than 1,500 unknown potentially historic resources including pilings, piers, ships, and a Civil War-era barge.

Recognized as the largest waterway debris removal in U.S. history, the program yielded long-term benefits, including relief mapping of state tidal waterways, updated threatened and endangered species data, inventory of newly identified potentially historic submerged objects, and sediment reuse for beach replenishment and resilience.