Santa Rosa eyes second beach restoration project
MILTON — Santa Rosa County officials are in the early stages of planning a second beach restoration on Navarre Beach.
County Commissioners recently hired the engineering firm Coastal Tech to survey the beach, take aerial photos and determine what areas have eroded since the first restoration project was completed.
Coastal Tech’s study is expected to cost about $45,000. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will fund nearly $30,000 of it.
“We’d done (the initial beach restoration) in 2006, and we need to at least begin the process of getting the engineering done, getting the work done for renourishment,” said County Administrator Hunter Walker. “Once you engineer a beach, it essentially has to be maintained over time.
“We certainly think it’s time to start looking at it now, because there’s a long lead time,” he added.
Santa Rosa County spent $18.2 million in 2006 to add 3.4 million cubic yards of sand to 3.7 miles of beach. The job included building 14-foot berm and planting of 1.4 million sea oats.
At that time, sand was dredged from a borrow site about four miles south of Navarre Beach. Walker said BP is expected to pay for a study to make sure the borrow site for the upcoming renourishment project has not been contaminated by the 2010 oil spill.
“There’s been some concern that’s been expressed with each of the coastal counties that if there is offshore oil, has it deposited in the borrow sites,” Walker said. “You don’t want to be pumping it up on the beach.”
Coastal Tech’s study will determine what portions of the beach need to be renourished, but Walker said the upcoming project will not be as extensive or costly as the original one.
“Obviously, this is going to be an expensive process, and (commissioners have) asked staff to come back to the board at the next committee meeting with funding proposals,” Walker said. “At some point, the board will decide to proceed or not.”
Studies and permits will be needed before the work starts. If commissioners approve a new restoration project, Walker said he expects dredging to start sometime between next year and 2015.
County Commissioners recently hired the engineering firm Coastal Tech to survey the beach, take aerial photos and determine what areas have eroded since the first restoration project was completed.
Coastal Tech’s study is expected to cost about $45,000. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will fund nearly $30,000 of it.
“We’d done (the initial beach restoration) in 2006, and we need to at least begin the process of getting the engineering done, getting the work done for renourishment,” said County Administrator Hunter Walker. “Once you engineer a beach, it essentially has to be maintained over time.
“We certainly think it’s time to start looking at it now, because there’s a long lead time,” he added.
Santa Rosa County spent $18.2 million in 2006 to add 3.4 million cubic yards of sand to 3.7 miles of beach. The job included building 14-foot berm and planting of 1.4 million sea oats.
At that time, sand was dredged from a borrow site about four miles south of Navarre Beach. Walker said BP is expected to pay for a study to make sure the borrow site for the upcoming renourishment project has not been contaminated by the 2010 oil spill.
“There’s been some concern that’s been expressed with each of the coastal counties that if there is offshore oil, has it deposited in the borrow sites,” Walker said. “You don’t want to be pumping it up on the beach.”
Coastal Tech’s study will determine what portions of the beach need to be renourished, but Walker said the upcoming project will not be as extensive or costly as the original one.
“Obviously, this is going to be an expensive process, and (commissioners have) asked staff to come back to the board at the next committee meeting with funding proposals,” Walker said. “At some point, the board will decide to proceed or not.”
Studies and permits will be needed before the work starts. If commissioners approve a new restoration project, Walker said he expects dredging to start sometime between next year and 2015.
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