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Broward County Beach Dredging
Project Divers dominated a US Army Corps of Engineers meeting last night to receive public comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Broward County beach dredge and fill plan along 11.8 miles of shore. Diver after diver got up to say that they had seen coral reefs degraded or destroyed after previous dredging projects, and they were particularly worried that this project will damage the best reef along the only remaining shoreline that has not already been dredged-filled. The meeting opened with statements by the Mayor and public officials of Hollywood, who expressed desperate urgency for beach filling to proceed immediately, due to high erosion along their shores, and fears that it might be delayed. But immediately after their presentation a groundswell of public opposition to the plan swept the meeting. “We fully understand and support the need of Hollywood to renourish their beach, because the reefs there were damaged by past dredging projects, making erosion worse. Now they have no way out except to keep dumping sand. What we are asking for is for the Hollywood beach fill to go ahead, but to cancel the segment in front of Fort Lauderdale where the reef has never been damaged and where there is little beach erosion. Dumping sand on this last natural stretch now will destroy the natural protection the coral reefs provide and require more dumping in the future. We don’t want what happened to Hollywood to happen to Fort Lauderdale. There used to be great reef all up and down the nearshore hardbottom of Broward County. Now this is all that is left” said Dan Clark, President of Cry of the Water, a non-profit group dedicated to monitoring and protecting Broward reefs. “These reefs are a national treasure. This is the only place left in North America where you can swim from shore to prime coral reef habitat. The area just off the proposed beach fill is full of huge spreading fields of staghorn coral, the species most sensitive to sediments. It has large numbers of ancient corals, 500 to 1000 years old. This coral reef is like the last grove of giant redwoods, and deserves the highest level of protection. Please don’t let them take this reef away from your grandchildren” said Dr. Thomas Goreau, President of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, a non profit organization for coral reef conservation. He said that claims in the EIS that sand would not migrate from where it was dumped onto adjacent coral reefs were irrelevant in an area affected by hurricanes, and described how he had watched dredged beaches kill corals every time a storm stirred the sediments up again for years afterwards. Diver after diver reported that they had seen their favorite reefs destroyed after previous beach dredge-fill projects, and asked that this not be allowed to happen to what is left. Jeff Torode, President of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Dive Operators Association, said that the Environmental Impact Statement did not include the value of coral reefs that could be harmed: A recent State study assesses Broward County earnings from reefs at 2.1 Billion dollars per year. Jocelyn Karaszia of Environmental Defense and others said that essential fish habitat would be damaged, and criticized proposed mitigation plans as inadequate. Lifeguards said that muddy water would prevent visibility they need to do their jobs, and that human lives would be lost as a result. Brenda Chalifour of Save Our Shoreline and many other speakers called for sand bypassing to be used instead of dredging. They said that the amount of sand needed for this dredge project would exhaust available offshore supplies, yet all sites will need refilling in 6 to 10 years. The worst eroding sections are caused because their sand supply is blocked by jetties at Port Everglades, they said that the blocked sand could be cheaply bypassed to where it was needed, yet this was not considered in the EIS except as a possible future option. Nor was stabilization of dunes by vegetation. There is still time for the public to comment on the proposed Broward Beach Project, Permit #199905545. Written comments must be received by May 20th, 2002. Divers, fishermen, and environmentalists can help by calling for Segment II to be dropped from the proposed plan in order to prevent damage to the best nearshore coral reef and fish habitat, and for its declaration as a designated Coral Reef Protected Area. The draft EIS can be seen at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/pd/envdocs/envdocsb.htm Comments must be sent to: Dept. of Army, Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers, P.O.Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019 For more information, including the full report on the condition of Broward nearshore reefs, check www.cryofthewater.org, www.globalcoral.org, or call Tel: (954) 753-9737 PLEASE WRITE A LETTER TO GET SEGMENT II BEACH DREDGE-FILL STOPPED, AND THE OFFSHORE AREA DESIGNATED A SPECIAL STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROTECTED CORAL REEF AND ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT For information contact reefteam@yahoo.com |
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