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Clarification on Adding New Beaches to the City of Destin's Beach Restoration Project
City of Destin Press Release
Destin, FL, Oct. 28 - The critical erosion along west Destin beaches due to the recent battery of storms since Hurricane Ivan a year ago has prompted Holiday Isle residents to inquire about a beach restoration project for their area.
Unfortunately, the process is not as simple as "adding on" to the existing restoration project that is to be constructed this winter on Destin's eastern two miles of coastline.
Mike Barnett, Chief of Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems, wrote a letter to Mayor Craig Barker this week outlining the steps necessary to restore the beach in the western end of Destin. It is contained in its complete text as follows:
"I am writing in response to an inquiry from Lindey Chabot, regarding the possibility of expanding the Destin/Walton County Beach Restoration Project (Permit No. 0218419- 001-JC). This would involve an additional segment of beach restoration at the Holiday Isle area.
"We are currently processing an application from Walton County to modify Permit No.0218419-001-JC to include an extension of the project. This 1,950-foot extension is contiguous with the previously authorized project and is expected to be very similar to the project in terms of environmental impacts, sand compatibility, water quality and stability. We received the application for this permit modification on September 2,2005. Although the application is still incomplete, we expect Walton County to be able to provide the remaining information shortly. If so, we might be able to take action on the application about 30 days later. I offer this example to demonstrate that a very minor modification can take several months to authorize."
Mike Barnett, Chief of DEP's Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems, continues:
"Expanding the project to include the Holiday Isle Segment is likely to take considerably more time. It is not contiguous with the authorized project, and is located approximately 4 miles west of the western limit of the upcoming Destin/Walton County Beach Restoration project. Therefore, the resource impacts and sand compatibility would have to be evaluated separately. Since the sand source for the currently authorized project does not appear to contain enough sand for an additional segment of this size, a new sand source would have to identified and approved. A new sand search, involving core borings, geotechnical analysis and comparison with the native beach material, can take anywhere from several months to a year.
"A new segment may also require a new Biological Opinion from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before we could evaluate and approve alterations to the marine turtle nesting habitat. It would also require a separate Dredge and Fill permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).
"The City of Destin has requested the Department designate this area as "Critically Eroded." That request is currently under review by the Department. Without this designation, it would not be as easy to establish the necessary "public interest" in the project.
"The City's Fiscal Year 2006-07 Local Government Funding Request to the Department included funds for a sand source investigation to provide sand for a beach restoration project along the 4 miles of the City's coastline between Norriego Point and Henderson Beach State Park. The request also included funds for design of the project. The Department has included the City's funding request in its draft Legislative Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2006-07. If appropriated by the Legislature, these funds would be available in July 2006. Identification of any sand source and project design is expected to be completed by the City in FY2006-07. Based on the long range budget plan submitted by the City, permitting and final design will take place in FY2007-08 and construction in FY2008-09. This timeline assumes funding beyond FY2006-07 is available from the City and Department.
"If permits can be issued by the Department and the Corps, and the funding for this project can be secured, you would still not be able to begin the project until the following steps have been achieved: an erosion control line must be established and approved through a public hearing; upland construction easements must be acquired from the riparian property owners; and the construction contract must be advertised and executed.
"The Department is prepared to assist you if you decide to pursue this new project. However, there does not appear to be any way of completing the process in time to restore Holiday Isle Beach at the same time you build the East Destin project, which is scheduled to be undertaken from January to May of 2006."
"The City of Destin and Okaloosa County are committed to pursuing, and expediting, a beach restoration project from the western edge of Henderson Beach State Park to Holiday Isle. However, construction cannot be done this winter in conjunction with the current project for the reasons outlined above by DEP.
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