Coastal Management

Renourishment project view from the sky

Since the mid 1980’s, the City of Boca Raton has been monitoring and maintaining the City’s over 4.75 miles of shoreline through the construction of beach nourishment projects, proper dune management practices, continuous dredging of the Boca Raton Inlet and land preservation. The City has conducted 8 beach renourishment projects, four emergency hurricane repair projects and 1 hurricane emergency dune repair project. Additionally, since 1972 when the City took over maintaining the Boca Raton Inlet, the City’s has dredged over 2.3 million cubic yards of sand from the interior of the Boca Raton Inlet.

Upcoming Projects

South Boca Raton Beach Nourishment Project Completed

In April, the City of Boca Raton completed the sixth renourishment project of the shoreline adjacent to the City’s southernmost beach. For this project, sand placement started at South Inlet Park and continued south beyond the City limits to the beaches of Deerfield Beach, and the Town of Hillsboro Beach. This 1.4-mile beach renourishment was the first collaborative project between these entities which maximized the dredging volumes and lowered the dredge mobilization cost to the City.

Approximately 370,000 cubic yards of sand were dredged from the Boca Raton inlet ebb shoal over nine weeks. Continuous environmental monitoring was a top priority as this work occurred during sea turtle nesting season. The project’s success was driven by multi-jurisdictional coordination between all stakeholders and regulatory agencies.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company provided their 312-foot Alaska vessel for this project which dredged to a depth between 3 to 18 feet. Beachgoers often found interesting shells and treasures as a byproduct of the dredging operation.

South Boca Raton Beach renourishment
DJI_0207
South Boca Raton Beach renourishment

South Boca Raton Beach Nourishment Project

The South Boca Raton Nourishment Project is a significant element of the City’s Comprehensive Coastal Management Program. The project involves the excavation of sand from the ebb shoal immediately offshore of the Boca Raton inlet. The excavated sand is placed simultaneously on the beaches south of the inlet. This project serves to restore and maintain the beaches south of the Boca Raton Inlet, helps maintain safe navigation through the inlet, and offsets the long-term beach erosion in this area.

The proposed construction will be the 6th renourishment conducted to date and will receive a cost share from Palm Beach County and The Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Navigation for boaters will not be blocked by the construction activities and Boca Raton Inlet will not be closed. Additionally, approximately 500 feet of beach around the active area will be closed to the public. All other areas of the beach will remain open.

  • Project Length:  Approximately 1 mile. 
  • Quantity:  Approximately 200,000 cubic yards of sand.
  • Project Location:  South of the Boca Raton Inlet to the southern City limit. Project will continue through to Deerfield and Hillsboro.
  • Project Start Date:  Mobilization will occur beginning the week of March 6.  Active construction is anticipated mid-March.
  • Project completion:  The project will be completed by May 1, 2023.

For any questions, please contact Alejandra Schmidt, Coastal Program Manager at [email protected].

Pictures below from previous nourishment projects.

Information regarding sea turtle nesting season.

DJI_0199
DJI_0195