Seaside Heights wants to use$1 million raised in a benefit by the cast of reality show Jersey Shore to protect its boardwalk from future Sandy –like storms.

Seaside Heights’ officials say the money will cover about half the cost of a new seawall. But the idea is not without controversy. Karen O’Neil is a Professor of Human Ecology at Rutgers. She says individual seawalls raise issues ranging from cost to sand re-distribution, and says other towns along the shore could feel the effects.

“As far as the overall effectiveness of them, these are extremely complex systems and what’s tended to happen is that these sort of one by one decisions have really complicated what is happening up and down the coast.”

O’Neil says the town will have to seek permits from the state as well as the Army Corps of Engineers to construct the wall.