Emergency sand dump at Florida beach combats shoreline erosion
Crews in St. Lucie County, Fla., have hauled in about 10,000 cubic yards of sand near Jetty Park in Fort Pierce in an emergency effort to rebuild eroding shoreline.
Workers are placing sand along roughly 200 yards of beach in both directions from the work zone, according to CBS 12. Crews are also moving to reinforce three weak spots in the existing sand berm about a quarter mile down the beach, Fort Pierce City Commissioner Michael Broderick told the news station.
"We have other problems about a quarter mile down the beach that we're quite concerned with, that we're starting on today," Broderick said. "We need to reinforce those areas of sand. Access to those areas is somewhat difficult, but we now have the equipment package of personnel and material to execute."
City and county leaders estimate the emergency delivery will cost taxpayers approximately $500,000, according to NBC 5.
The emergency phase should wrap up by early next week, Broderick said, after which the shoreline will remain vulnerable until a larger renourishment project begins in March. That project, budgeted at $15 million, will use barges to dredge sand from offshore and pump it onto the beach through large pipes.
At least one home along South Beach now has only about seven feet of embankment in front of it. Officials said they have no plans to order evacuations.
"Seven feet of embankment wouldn't go through in one night. I'm not nervous," Broderick said. "I think we have a great plan in place to mitigate this."
A break in the federal renourishment cycle worsened the situation, Broderick said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers put the annual South Beach replenishment project out to bid three times last year and received no contractors, forcing officials to skip a cycle that had previously run annually.
City and county leaders are exploring longer-term solutions, including offshore T-groin structures designed to reduce wave energy and retain sand. Those projects require federal funding and could move forward around 2030 if approved.
Crews will continue reinforcing vulnerable areas until the larger renourishment project begins next month.