Massive Sand Sculpture Takes Shape Thursday

It won't be your typical souvenir from the shore, but at least it will be different: At 1 p.m. Thursday at Seventh Street Beach, a professional will have completed a sand sculpture of a water main break, and visitors will be invited to pose for photos in the "mayhem."

New Jersey American Water Company is sponsoring the event to remind people about the "importance of a resilient water infrastructure" — particularly in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

To highlight the message, the utility company has commissioned a 10’ x 10’ sand sculpture — a trench with a “crew” member from the water company repairing a water main break on a typical pipeline found in communities statewide.

"The scene is particularly relevant considering that every two minutes a water main breaks somewhere in the U.S. and that 15 percent of New Jersey American Water’s 9,000 miles of pipes are nearly a century old," the company writes in a news release.

Visitors will pose for photos “in the site” for social media sharing and special giveaways while learning about the importance of investing in infrastructure renewal.

John Gruber, a professional sand sculptor for more than 16 years, will be to create the sculpture at noon Wednesday (Aug. 21). Rain date for the photos will be Friday, Aug. 23.

"New Jersey’s water infrastructure is reaching a critical point and must be replaced — the cost of doing nothing far exceeds the cost of proactive replacement," NJAWC writes of its campaign.

The company says it is raising awareness about how safe drinking water is delivered to homes and businesses and how aging infrastructure presents a long-term challenge to water utilities.