Fort Myers Beach Marine Operations Project Manager Chad Chustz says the $22 million beach renourishment project, barring any further equipment failures, will be completely finished by May 31st. When done, 300,000 cubic yards of new sand will sit on Fort Myers Beach. As if on cue, the buried portion of the pipe at Lynn Hall park broke on Thursday and water came up bubbling through the sand.
The original plan was to have the project completed by the end of 2024. However, hurricanes Helene and Milton caused delays that pushed completion into 2025. Ahtna Marine and Construction is the contractor for the project and they’ve dealt with several equipment breakdowns that added additional time to the project. Ahtna is running miles of pipe from the Gulf to the north end of the beach, then on the beach to the south end to pump sand. The town has also used trucks to move sand from one selection of the beach to the other as they also work around bird nesting season and turtle seasons.
Preparing for Milton and Helene, Ahtna had to remove its barge from the water. 40,000 cubic yards of sand were taken out of the project by Helene and Milton. 30,000 cubic yards was able to be saved and put back onto the beach. Chustz said about 11,000 cubic yards of sand was lost and he made a request to FEMA for help to replace that sand.
The next step of the project is plantings. The town will be working with every property owner on the beach to incorporate a Dune Management Plan. Chustz plans to be flexible with property owners but he will recommend maximum vegetation for better protection from storms. The plantings are a layer of protection from storm surge and high water. It also helps trap wind-blown sand.
Of course as we all know not everyone on the beach signed an easement that allowed the town to pump new sand onto their property. That also means no dune plantings. Chustz says some of those properties have been sold and he plans to approach the new owners to see if he can get them into the program. When you have two properties with sand and a dune management system and one in the middle without, the one without can become a gully for the high water and storm surge.
The dune management system is part of the overall beach renourishment project and is expected to start in July. It’s paid for in the $22 million pot which was funded, at different levels, by FEMA, the state, TDC funds and the town.
Hurricane season begins June 1st.
You’re absolutely right Jason
TLM = Turtle Lives Matter
Wondering something. See those photos of a huge vertical wall of sand. How are those turtles you all love going to climb up that wall to lay eggs? How are those hatchlings going to navigate that drop? Was in Bonita beach last week in this windy weather the drop was every bit of 6-7 feet in spots. Just a thought for the turtle folks to ponder.