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Broward County Dredge and Fill The public comment period of the Broward Beach Dredge and Fill project is open until February 1, 2004. Comments can be sent to Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019 or Fax to (904) 232-3442 Attention Terri Jordan. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) can be viewed at “Broward County Beach Erosion Control Project” at http://planning.saj.usace.army.mil/envdocs/envdocsb.htm#Broward-County. We have seen past projects bury and smother many of our near shore reefs and impact reefs around dredge pits. The effects of long term chronic silt, sediment and turbidity from these projects can still be seen on many of our reefs. Broward County projects the impacts from this project to be: · The burial of over 24,000 Corals. · Burying at least 13.6 acres of hardbottom, coral, reefs, juvenile fish habitat, and foraging grounds for endangered Sea turtles. · Secondary impacts to coral reefs adjacent to burial area from silt sediment and turbidity. · The sand that is pumped on to the beach contains fine material that are continuality re-suspended by wave action. This material settles onto corals, smothering them and blocking out essential sunlight. · Reefs around the borrow areas will also be impacted by the silt and sediment that is generated by the dredging process. Ft. Lauderdale Segment 2 should be removed from this project Ft. Lauderdale beaches are relatively stable due to the extensive near shore reef that helps to project the beach. This reef also produces sand that is deposited on the beach. Many sections of Ft. Lauderdale are actually building beach material. Ft. Lauderdale beach has alternating regions of erosion and accretion (building beach). On average Ft. Lauderdale is building beach. There are localized areas of erosion such as R-54, which could be corrected by addressing Land Based Sources of Erosion. Land based sources of erosions – All storm water runoff from our major concrete buildings and parking lots that now drain on the beach and into the ocean are increasing erosion. Cooling tower outfall pipes that pump millions of gallons of water 24 hours a day / 7days a week into the surf zone are eroding the beaches. This is especially a problem in Ft. Lauderdale Segment 2 R-53-R-55 (Galt Ocean Mile). This illegal practice has been allowed to go on for decades, and now these condo owners in their ivory towers expect you, the tax payer, to pay to pump sand onto their private beaches for short term benefits and long term damage. We should not destroy the last great nearshore reef in Southeast Florida in order to pump sand on to a beach that is not chronically eroding. Sand By-Pass – The implementation of Sand Bypass at Port Everglades must be added to this project. It is the only proven long-term solution to sustainable beaches south of Port Everglades. Sand bypass has been conducted successfully for years at Hillsboro and other inlets. Alternate Sources of Sand – · Alternate sources of sand would reduce the Silt sediment and turbidity impacts to near shore reefs. · These alternate sources of sand would decrease the likelihood and rate of erosion on northern beaches by not taking sand from offshore of Deerfield and Hillsboro beaches and putting it on southern beaches. · Current Health Assessment - We are currently seeing our reefs affected by pollution and algal blooms. This EIS does not take into consideration the current health of these reefs while attempting to determine how much additional stress corals can take from silt and turbidity. Outdated Studies The EIS relies on a lot of outdated data, which does not accurately show the present conditions of our reefs. Outdated Studies include: Mitigation Plan, Wave Impact Study, Depth of Closure, Hardbottom edge Map. Reduction in NTUs for Turbidity Special reduced NTU recommendations exist for coral reef habitats. The EIS cites a more general standard for NTUs that is inadequate for a sensitive coral ecosystem. Sand Dune Vegetation - Dune vegetation will lower the amount of beach erosion and extend the lifetime of the project. The USDA has offered free dune vegetation, and also free labor to install it. This should be made a requirement for the permitting of the project, yet it is not mentioned in the report. Cry of the Water P.O. Box 8143 Coral Springs, FL 33075 www.cryofthewater.org 1/25/2004 |
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