CSA International, Inc. (CSA) recently completed a 5-year monitoring program of nearshore hard bottom habitats in relation to the Sectors 1 and 2 Beach Renourishment Project (2007), offshore Indian River County, Florida.
This program was a storm recovery project to replace sand losses following Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. CSA was contracted by Indian River County through Applied Technology and Management to conduct a pre-construction baseline survey in 2007, followed by an immediate post-construction survey in 2008, and three subsequent annual post construction monitoring surveys in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Maintenance dredging of the Sebastian Inlet in the spring of 2012 resulted in placement of additional beach fill within the Sectors 1 and 2 fill template.
Erosion of Florida’s sandy beaches occurs due to the creation and deepening of navigational inlets; construction of jetties, seawalls, and other coastal structures; and natural causes such as severe storms and hurricanes. Beach restoration programs have been at the forefront of Florida’s beach management programs in order to restore sandy beach resources and protect upland properties. Environmental services associated with beach restoration projects throughout Florida have been an integral component of the Coastal and Ocean Sciences Business Line for over 30 years, and current projects are underway in Broward, Indian River, Martin, Sarasota, and St. Lucie Counties. These projects, which typically include several years of environmental monitoring, are often conducted under subcontract to engineering firms.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, May 31, 2012;