Posted on December 17, 2024
The Town of Palm Beach in Florida is launching a significant coastal restoration effort as part of its overall Coastal Management Plan, with its first project having already begun last week.
Approximately 750,000 cubic yards (570,000 cubic metres) of sand will be dredged offshore and placed on the beach in Reach 7, and over 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 cubic metres) of this sand will be trucked to Reaches 8 and 9 to rebuild dunes.
The Coastal Management Plan provides a strategic framework for implementing beach renourishment projects and other measures to combat erosion. Beach renourishment is essential for protecting the coastline, enhancing recreational opportunities, and supporting local businesses. Coastal projects minimise erosion and improve beach aesthetics, ensuring a safe environment for residents and visitors.
The Phipps project, part of the Coastal Management Plan, will take approximately ten weeks in 2025. For the Phipps project, sand will be supplied from an offshore borrow area and pumped through pipes to the beach, where it will be spread and shaped by heavy machinery. During the project, a stockpile of sand will be generated from the dredging of the offshore borrow areas. This material will then be transported by trucks and used to rebuild dunes.
Beach renourishment will occur from Phipps Ocean Park to the Ambassador Hotel, and dunes will be rebuilt from Sloan’s Curve to Phipps Ocean Park and Lake Worth Beach to Lantana Municipal Beach.
The town will also construct a sand forepassing project in Reaches 1 and 2 in early 2025 ahead of the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredging of the Lake Worth Inlet.
Residents and visitors will continue to have access to the beach while the project is ongoing and can enjoy the beach on the ocean side of the pipeline in areas that are not active construction zones.
The portion of the beach under active construction may be temporarily closed to ensure public safety. Sand ramps will be installed over the shore pipe, where practical, to allow safe bypass of heavy equipment.
