North Topsail Beach official: Debris is peat, not asphalt

A town official says debris washing onshore at North Topsail Beach is compacted peat and not
asphalt as some residents and visitors have suggested.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reported Wednesday that the town has received calls and complaints about the debris, which has washed up along a two-mile stretch near Villa Capriani and public access area No. 4.

Town Alderman Richard Peters said submerged peat deposits offshore break up and wash on the beach. Peters said while he doesn’t deny there are some deteriorated pieces of asphalt in the
ocean, most of the people complaining confuse the peat for the asphalt.

Jim Griffin of Sneads Ferry sees it differently. He thinks a roadway from the 1980s is breaking up, and that people are slipping on it and falling.

Information from: The Daily News, http://www.jdnews.com

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)