Weeks Marine, the contractor for the City’s Beach Renourishment Project, has finished placing sand on the central and southern beaches of Boca Raton. As a measure to help mitigate beach erosion, the project added approximately 450,000 cubic yards of sand to the central beach area, widening it by about 125 feet on average. By dredging sand from the shoal outside the Boca Raton inlet, approximately 90,000 cubic yards of sand was added to the southern beaches. From South Inlet Park to the Broward County line, the beaches were widened by about 45 feet.
As part of an ongoing effort in shoreline protection, the City’s Coastal Program Management Division coordinates beach renourishment projects about every ten years for the North and Central Project Areas and approximately every 6-8 years for the South Beach project area.
Wider beaches help protect coastal structures and infrastructure from storm surge and unusually high tides. Additionally, these projects provide sea turtle nesting habitat and recreational uses for residents and visitors alike. Regulated and permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, physical and biological monitoring is conducted before, during and after each beach renourishment project. Results from both the physical and biological monitoring are provided (in the form of reports) to both permitting agencies for review and concurrence. The contractor is currently demobilizing from the project site by removing all of their equipment and pipelines. Once the contractor has demobilized from the project site, the contractor will till the beach for nesting sea turtles. The six week long project should be completed the week of April 9, 2017.
Boca Raton, FL 
