- September 11, 2024
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued the Flagler Beach beach renourishment project on Aug. 9. Photo by Jake Montgomery
Hurricane Debby inflicted only minimal erosion to areas of Flagler Beach that have been renourished, which had little effect on the Army Corps of Engineers’ project, county engineer Ansley Wren-Key said.
The USACE are building the berm — which is the area of the beach where people lounge — out to 140 feet, which is 70 to 80 feet deeper than it needs to be, said Wren-Key, Flagler County’s coastal engineering administrator.
“Honestly, I would say we got lucky. That storm was more on the order of what a winter storm would be like, which is common,” Wren-Key said.
The erosion that did occur is called the equilibration process. Some of the sand was moved offshore and adjusted to the wave climate, she said.
“Rough waves were taking some of that sand just a little bit offshore, and it's still sitting right out there,” Wren-Key said.
The berm is overbuilt to account for an amount of sand that is taken offshore. That sand still helps break the waves and keeps the wave energy further away from the dunes, she said.
As of last week, the project was about two-thirds complete with 1.1 million cubic yards of sand being placed on the beaches starting at Gamble Rogers State Park and moving north.
The project was close to being done with the federal reach, which is where the USACE and Flagler County are in partnership. The non-federal section around the pier is mostly being funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.
That north taper is what the county wanted to add to the federal project, because it is in the downtown area and the county wanted to have a better buffer of protection for the businesses there, Wren-Key said.
“We are going to add more sand to the original design on that north taper,” she said, “because that area has eroded a lot, and we saw a lot of erosion during Debby. So we are glad that we went ahead and added about another $1.3 million for the sand there.”
That money came from the county’s Hurricane Nicole and Ian recovery funds from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, she said. They hope to finish the project by the end of August, barring no mechanical issues or weather delays, she said.
Johnny Lulgjuraj, owner of Oceanside Bar and Grill, said he is extremely pleased with the project.
“As both a resident and a business owner deeply invested in our community, I am incredibly proud of the transformation we’ve achieved through this beach renourishment project. The before and after results are nothing short of remarkable,” he said in a text. “While it’s true that we’ve lost some of our natural coral-colored sand and the coquina rocks are covered, the benefits far outweigh these changes.”
Lulgjuraj said the longterm advantages for the community — coastal protection and a stable environment for area businesses — are invaluable.
“It was a necessary tradeoff to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and thrive in this beautiful area,” he added.
