Dangerous debris and 8-foot surf left over from Hurricane Sandy closed county beaches to swimmers today and may keep them closed Sunday, according to county officials. <\/p>\n
Were seeing big chunks of wood with nails sticking out, tree limbs, chairs all kinds of debris that could hurt swimmers. We will make a decision Sunday on opening the beaches, said Eric Call, director of the Palm Beach CountyDepartment of Parks and Recreation. <\/p>\n
All county beaches were closed to swimmers today except for Boca-South Inlet. Inland swimming locations at Dubois and Phil Foster parks are open. All beaches remain open for other activities. Peanut Island is closed due to erosion. <\/p>\n
Countywide, erosion was not significant. Coral Cove Park in Tequesta and the northern end of Carlin Park in Jupiter were hit the worst. Singer Island and Ocean Reef Park also lost sand, according to Dan Bates, environmental director for the countys Department of Environmental Resources Management. <\/p>\n
We lost dune vegetation at Carlin and Coral Cove. Overall, the county did well, said Bates. <\/p>\n
In Martin County, officials have declared a state of local emergency due to high surf and tide conditions. <\/p>\n
Bathtub Reef Beach remains closed. Following Tropical Storm Isaac, about 3,600 tons of sand were brought in to shore up the dune and protect the beach and parking area. Additional sand was brought in this weekend to protect the beach. MacArthur Boulevard from Northeast Ocean Boulevard to Sailfish Point is open to local traffic only. <\/p>\n
Both Juno Beach and Lake Worth piers were closed today. Both piers are made with sections of flooring that come loose during high seas to allow the waves to come through the concrete pier structure. <\/p>\n
Several of the deck squares which float were removed from Lake Worth pier. The storm knocked out several sections at the end of the 1,000-foot-long Juno Beach pier. <\/p>\n
Either well find the deck squares on another section of the pier or we will recover them floating nearby, said Call. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Palm Beach County beaches may reopen for swimmers Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dangerous debris and 8-foot surf left over from Hurricane Sandy closed county beaches to swimmers today and may keep them closed Sunday, according to county officials. Continue reading