— An emergency survey of shoaling and a sandbar on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the Manasquan Inlet shows the inlet channel is safe for boat traffic, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday.

Rep. Chris Smith, who represents New Jersey's 4th District, pressed the Army Corps to conduct the emergency survey after boat captains raised their concerns about the shoaling to Smith.

The sonar survey was conducted Thursday afternoon, officials said, when weather conditions were safe enough for transiting the inlet. Read more: New Manasquan Inlet Shoaling Survey In Works, Army Corps Says

The Army Corps' engineering specialists told Smith and Kanitra said they believe the situation may stabilize on its own in the coming weeks, saying the survey results that indicate the wave action from an offshore storm during the week likely helped to reduce the size of the sandbar, Smith said.

They compared results from a survey conducted a few weeks ago that showed a sandbar just under the low-tide mark against the Manasquan jetty that appears to have migrated across the channel to the Point Pleasant Beach side, officials said.

PHOTO: U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of N.J.'s 4th Congressional District and Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra (far right) review a survey of shoaling and a sandbar in Manasquan Inlet. (Courtesy of Mayor Paul Kanitra)

In addition to monitoring the sand movement in the inlet, the Army Corps committed to a study to determine the source of the sediment that collects in the inlet with the hopes of developing a more permanent fix to the issue, officials said.

"We discussed the ongoing shoaling in the inlet and received commitments on studies of the root cause, along with increased monitoring," Kanitra said in an update on Facebook. "More help is needed, but it’s a great start and I appreciated the opportunity to highlight the threat the issue poses to our recreational and commercial fishing operations."

Smith said Army Corps officials agreed to repeat the survey "every few weeks to ... ensure the channel remains safe."

"I am grateful for the Army Corps of Engineers’ quick response and remain committed to working with them to ensure the safety of all commercial and recreational boaters on the Inlet," he said.