Chalk one up for the good guys. Just six months old, the Florida Treasure Coast (TC) chapter of the Surfrider Foundation was instrumental in setting a national beach restoration precedent, one that could empower activists fighting onerous "beach nourishment" and other beach projects that threaten surf breaks, water quality and wildlife.
Working closely with state and federal agencies, including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), TC Surfrider played the advocacy role behind what foremost authorities are calling the first full remediation of a botched dune/beach restoration project in U.S. coastal management history.
"I can't tell you how excited I was to hear this news," said Dr. Orrin Pilkey, Professor Emeritus of Geology at Duke University. "Agencies have been forced to mix-and-till bad projects, or screen out rocks, but as far as I know this is almost certainly a national precedent."
Duke University has kept a comprehensive record of coastal construction for the entire U.S. for forty years.
Following the 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which made landfall on the Treasure Coast about two weeks apart, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and DEP issued St. Lucie County an emergency dune restoration permit for a 3.7-mile stretch of South Hutchinson Island, just north of Jensen Beach. The permit allowed the county to truck in beach-compatible sand from an inland mine, to be stabilized with native dune grass plantings immediately.
Because of Florida's unique geological history, many Pleistocene sand dunes (80,000- to 120,000-year-old sand deposits) can be found across the state, and top geologists recommend the use of sand from inland areas over offshore sediment, because offshore sediment is so fine and fragile it is likely to cause chronic turbidity in the surf zone. Because of the fine or flimsy qualities of most offshore sediments and the way these fake beaches are constructed, projects frequently caused chronic turbidity, loss of surf breaks, major reef/surf break degradation, among a litany of other environmental impacts -- all along the East and Gulf coasts of America.
But some carefully constructed dune restorations have had minimal environmental impacts. Martin, Indian River and Brevard county engineers carefully monitored the truckloads of sand that were used to rebuild the dunes and upper faces of beaches throughout the region, and the work seems acceptable. However, St. Lucie officials and their consultant, Coastal Planning & Engineering (CP&E) apparently turned a blind eye to the "roadbed material" that was placed down to the waterline, on North America's second most important sea turtle nesting beach.
CP&E and Dickerson Construction put more than 200,000 cubic yards of clay, silt and rocks on the beachface, down to the mean high tide line. Dr. Hal Wanless, Chair of Geological Sciences at the University of Miami, analyzed the sediment per request of Florida Sportsman magazine, as part of an ongoing investigation into coastal management in Florida. He found that, "This material has nothing in common with sediments ever found on Florida beaches. It will cause a chronic time release of mud into the system."
Just weeks after project completion, a huge, northeast groundswell rolled in and took more than half the material off the beach -- onto North America's most biologically diverse non-coralline reefs. The reefs create fun, punchy A-frames -- that surfers now slip on because of the mud coating them. These reefs are federally designated as Essential Fish Habitat and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, because they provide habitat for more than 530 marine species, including 327 animals closely associated with or biologically obligated to live on "nearshore hardbottom."
"The project was undeniably an environmental catastrophe," says Surfrider Co-Chair, Chris Schultz. "But the material poses a health threat to beach goers, and the dingy water also poses an ongoing threat to surfers and swimmers."
Pre-removal, the stuff was so hard and steep it couldn't be negotiated barefoot; it was downright dangerous for the elderly or un-athletic. But the most insidious threat manifested itself, when, in November a surfer was attacked by shark on the St. Lucie/Martin County line.
"Fortunately, the shark attack wasn't serious. But we tried to warn officials, and it's still dirty," says former chapter co-chair, Ericka D'Avanzo, who was recently hired as Surfrider's Florida Chapter Coordinator. During the fall mullet (baitfish) run, the time of year when shark attacks in Florida are most common, the chapter had written the county, as well as state and federal agencies, stating that turbidity from a combination of sources, primarily from the St. Lucie project, had dramatically increased the chances of shark attack. They had consulted George Burgess, keeper of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, and he advised "extreme caution."
"Murky water plays a significant role in promoting shark attack," Burgess had said. "Murky water reduces a shark's ability to visually confirm the identity of potential prey items and likely promotes many of the 'mistaken identity' attacks that occur along the Florida east coast."
"International Shark Attack File data reveals that 212 of 280 (more than 75 percent) of shark attacks in Florida waters bearing information about water clarity have occurred in murky-water situations," Burgess continued. "Murky water is a common denominator in many shark attacks worldwide."
Even though the largest spawning aggregation of spinner sharks (the most frequent biter) in the U.S occurs in Treasure Coast/Palm Beach County waters, and even though numerous bull sharks patrol the nearshore reefs, shark attacks are fairly rare due to the region's emerald waters.
"You can't see your feet," said Schultz. "And you spend your session wondering how long you'll keep your feet."
Since the November attack, several local surfers, including this reporter, have been chased from the water by "curious" sharks. These encounters increased the chapter's resolve.
"It's all about the New Localism, and the New Localism is about protecting ourselves and our priceless resources from carelessness, greed and the unsustainable coastal management practices that are a symptom of unsustainable development," says Ericka D'Avanzo, former TC Surfrider Co-chair and newly hired Surfrider Foundation Florida Regional Manager.
"We are, after all, the most consistent users of area beaches and nearshore waters. Our members represent and cross over a wide variety of interests, including surfing, fishing, and diving and wildlife conservation."
Heading into the New Year, the drama escalated. DEP had sent several letters to St. Lucie County citing a lack of compliance with permit conditions, warning about potential misdemeanor charges and ordering remediation strategy sessions to begin. While Martin County responded to a slough of negative media regarding their dredge-and-fill project by hiring a spin doctor, St. Lucie County responded to DEP by hiring a lawyer, who sent a terse letter to DEP.
"St. Lucie Writes No Wrongs in Beach Project," the headlines ran.
Then the county and CP&E missed the deadlines imposed for reports on remediation options. In January, DEP convened a meeting with the county, and every federal agency with jurisdiction over the beach and adjacent waters attended. The collective agency message was simple: Get the bad stuff of the beach and replace it with good sand.
Still, the county and contractor CP&E came back with several cheap and unacceptable "solutions," which included mixing the incompatible material with good sand, an option that would only prolong turbidity. But finally, during the first week of February, DEP ordered the complete removal of the incompatible sediment and its replacement with native sand and vegetation. St. Lucie County fired CP&E, hired a more reputable contractor, and the work began immediately. Despite absurd threats from the condo residents to lie down in front of the bulldozers (they were so ignorant they didn't realize that the incompatible material provided flimsy property protection at best), the work is on schedule to be completed by the end of March.
With the culpable parties vanquished, TC Surfrider cautiously celebrated a victory.
"But we appreciate that the agencies and the county are recognizing that we are the folks that love and understand the beach and nearshore waters best and are including us as stakeholders, "said Andy Brady, Co-Chair of TC Surfrider. "That means the most to us. And we are thrilled that they are realizing many of our members are experts and can help them make better coastal management decisions."
"Let this send a message to coastal engineers around the country. The public will no longer tolerate bad beach projects," said D'Avanzo.
-- Terry Gibson
See article on Surfline http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/article.cfm?id=1830