Jun 19, 2008 8:00 pm US/Eastern
Orr At The Shore: Ventnor, N.J.
Reporting
Kathy Orr
VENTNOR, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Thousands of condos, duplexes, and single family homes
have been built along the Jersey
Shore in the last decade,
but even with all the structures, the number of people living there decreases
dramatically between seasons.
In the off-season, 1.5 million people live down the shore,
but in the summer, the population increases to around seven million people.
Jim Eberwine is the Hurricane Program leader at the
National Weather Service in Mount
Holly, New Jersey and
said the population changes the area in more ways than one.
"When you have people move into an area like this you have
to move the whole infrastructure with them. First the homes, opening up stores,
bringing down places of worship, and putting in roads," Eberwine said.
The construction has an impact on the environment, and
even though there is water everywhere, one of the biggest concerns is the
increasing demand for fresh water.
"There has been excessive pumping from area aquifers. When
that occurs, there is intrusion of salt water into fresh water supplies," said
Rutgers University Professor Mike Kennish.
The coastal growth spurt expands beyond the Jersey Shore.
In the past 30 years, coastal population has exploded nationwide.
Today, an estimated 160 million people live along the
country's coastal communities, which makes up just over half of the nation's
population.
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