1. Beaches

Category Archives: Beaches

Huge underwater hole planned to get beach sand

Posted on by

A hole the size of eight football fields would be gouged from the ocean floor off Fort Lauderdale under a plan to help save the eroding beaches of southern Broward County.

The Army Corps of Engineers said Broward County has applied for a permit to construct what's called a sand bypass, a huge cavity in the ocean floor at the north side of the Port Everglades inlet. Its purpose would be to accumulate sand to fatten the shorelines of John U. Lloyd Beach State Park and the cities to south.

The south Broward beaches have been losing sand since 1928, when President Calvin Coolidge came to town and pressed a button to detonate explosives that would destroy the final barrier between the ocean and the lake that would become Port Everglades. The button malfunctioned, but the barrier was quickly taken down anyway. Since then, the Port Everglades inlet has blocked the natural flow of sand to the south caused by wind and waves.

Beaches that lose sand to the south gain it back from the north. But since the port inlet cut off the supply, the beaches of Dania Beach, Hollywood and Hallandale Beach have been eroding, saved only by costly projects to replenish them with sand from elsewhere.

Under the $20 million bypass plan, sand that would normally just accumulate north of the inlet would end up in the hole. Every three years or so, the sand would be scooped up, taken south and spread on the beach at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. From there it would naturally flow south to replenish the other beaches.

"It's a great way to have a local dedicated sand source for beaches in the area," said Nicole Sharp, Broward County's beach erosion administrator.

But she said it will not eliminate the need to bring in sand from other places.

"It's a supplement," she said. "We don't want people to get the wrong impression."

Throughout South Florida, beaches have been going through various stages of replenishment. The county currently is awaiting a federal permit to begin work on a plan to widen more than five miles of eroded beach from northern Fort Lauderdale to southern Pompano Beach.

Cities south of the inlet strongly support the sand bypass. Hollywood, which has already seen much of the sand from a major renourishment project wash away, would see a more stable beach and less need to spend money obtaining sand.

View post:

Huge underwater hole planned to get beach sand

Contract OKd for Cape May county beach restoration

Posted on by

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press

Federal officials have awarded a $57 million contract to widen beaches in New Jersey's Cape May County, part of broader effort along its entire 127-mile coastline that includes building protective sand dunes on most of the state's beaches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract this week to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company. The Illinois-based firm will reconstruct beaches and dunes in Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City.

"This project will provide critical protection to these coastal resort communities," said Robert Martin, the state's environmental protection commissioner.

Work will begin this winter. It was authorized in 2007 but not funded by Congress until last year as part of the post-Superstorm Sandy rebuilding effort.

The cost of initial construction will be paid entirely by the federal government under legislation passed by Congress following Sandy.

Residents in the southern end of Ocean City have been waiting for the replenishment work for years, even as beaches in the more erosion-prone northern half were fixed.

Work from 34th Street in Ocean City extending south to the boundary of Corson's Inlet State Park will involve construction of a dune 13 feet above sea level, with a 25-foot-width at the top and a berm extending 100 feet from the seaward base of the dune.

On Ludlum Island, which includes Strathmere and Sea Isle, the dune will be about 15 feet high and the berm 50 feet wide.

Following initial construction, the beaches will be nourished periodically over 50 years with the federal government paying for 65 percent of the work and the state paying 35 percent. The state will then get reimbursement from the local municipalities for 25 percent of the state share, which works out to about 9 percent of the total project cost.

Link:

Contract OKd for Cape May county beach restoration

Krabi, Railay, Tonsai, Ao Nang 2014 – GoPro Hero 3+ Black – Thailand – Video

Posted on by


Krabi, Railay, Tonsai, Ao Nang 2014 - GoPro Hero 3+ Black - Thailand
5 Beautiful days in Krabi, Thailand. Including some of the amazing surrounding Beaches: Ao Nang, Railay, Tonsai, Nopparat Thara, and more! The Adventure Continues! https://blackonyxadventures.wo ...

By: BlackOnyxAdventures

View original post here:

Krabi, Railay, Tonsai, Ao Nang 2014 - GoPro Hero 3+ Black - Thailand - Video

Ruling prohibits vehicles on Treasure Island beaches

Posted on by

TREASURE ISLAND Ruling in favor of three beachfront hotel owners, a judge has ordered the city to prohibit vehicles from driving and parking on its beaches.

Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell signed a summary judgment order prohibiting vehicular traffic and parking on Treasure Island's beachfront except for cleanup, repair and public safety reasons.

Last week's ruling came less than two weeks before one of the city's major annual beach events, Sanding Ovations a four-day event beginning Wednesday where sand sculptors across the country and world gather to create sculptures using sand, water and their imaginations.

The event for a city that bills itself as the sand sculpture capital of Florida draws thousands to Treasure Island and, in the past, participants and event attendees alike have parked on the beach.

In light of the judge's ruling, the city is making preparations to move parking offsite this year.

"The event is still on, but I'm not sure in what shape or form," Mayor Robert Minning said Monday.

City Manager Reid Silverboard referred questions to City Attorney Maura Kiefer, who did not respond to a request for comment.

The City Commission held an executive session last week and a second one this week to discuss its options in the case, which could include appealing the ruling.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Thunderbird Hotel, the Page Terrace Motel and the Windjammer Resort are celebrating their victory.

"Our beach is the main economic driver of the island and it needs to be protected," said Thunderbird general manager David King said. "We are very happy with the judge's ruling and look forward to trying to work with the city to continue to have events that protect the beach and not destroy it."

Read the original post:

Ruling prohibits vehicles on Treasure Island beaches

One in 20 English beaches will fail water cleanliness tests under new EU standards

Posted on by

More than 20 beaches in England will fail to meet new standards Almost all beaches currently meet basic standards for clean water Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach and Staithes failed tests this year In Wales all 101 beaches tested met the mandatory water standards

By Chris Kitching for MailOnline

Published: 05:30 EST, 11 November 2014 | Updated: 07:10 EST, 11 November 2014

More than 20 beaches in England are expected to fail cleanliness tests when tougher European standards are introduced next year, new figures show.

Almost all beaches in England (99.5 per cent) currently meet the basic standards for clean bathing water, but that figure is expected to drop to 94.5 per cent once the rules change.

Just two spots failed to reach the mandatory grade this year Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset and Staithes in North Yorkshire.

Staithes, North Yorkshire was one of two spots that failed to reach the mandatory grade this year

The other spot that failed to make the grade in 2014 was Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset

But five per cent of beaches which are currently meeting the minimum standards will be classed as poor next year, including Blackpool North, Blackpool Central, Lancashire and Seaton and East Looe in Cornwall.

The UK government said some areas remain vulnerable to the effects of heavy rainfall and pollution from human and animal sources.

Read this article:

One in 20 English beaches will fail water cleanliness tests under new EU standards


  1. Beaches