Posted on May 2, 2016
By Jennifer Sorentrue, myPalmBeachPost
Diver, boaters, and business owners are raising questions about a marine trade group’s plan to dredge parts of the popular sandbar north of Peanut Island to help improve navigation and safety in that section of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County has proposed dredging a channel through the sandbar, a move the group says would help ease boat traffic in the area while also creating more spots along the sandbar for boaters to beach their vessels.
The non-profit group’s plan also calls for dredging on the outer perimeter of the sandbar to improve navigation in the area around the Blue Heron Bridge and on the eastern side of the Intracoastal Waterway near Sailfish Marina.
More than 20 people gathered at the meeting room at Phil Foster Park on Thursday to learn about the proposal, and several expressed concern that the plan could impact diving conditions and boat traffic in the area.
Although many in Thursday’s crowd agreed that the plan would improve safety and navigation, some area divers said they had concerns the project could harm marine life.
Phil Foster Park has become a popular area for divers and marine photographers. The county has installed an underwater snorkel trail near the park that has become a destination for both locals and tourists.
Jeff Nelson, a Riviera Beach resident and local dive instructor, said he was concerned the dredging project would stir up sand below the water — a move that he feared could threaten marine life in the area and their underwater habitat.
“This area is known world-wide for photography,” Nelson said.
The meeting was one of at least five that trade group has held to gather comments on the proposal.
Chuck Collins, executive director of the trade association, welcomed the questions, and said the comments would be considered as the group works the county on its plan.
“This is very conceptual,” Collins said. “We want more thought. The more people thinking about it, the better.”
Under the proposal, the trade group hopes to remove about 90,000 cubic yards of sand from the sandbar. The sand would be used to renourish the beach south of the inlet. Collins said that the sand could also be used to extend the beach at Phil Foster Park.
Some in Thursday’s crowd raised questions about the need to extend the park’s beach, saying the project could impact snorkeling and diving in the area.
Collins has said it’s unclear how much the plan would cost, but he hopes to work with the county to find state and federal grant money to complete the project. The group would also help secure state and federal permits that would be required for the dredging work.
It would likely take the group two to three years to secure the necessary permits, Collins added.
“The last thing we want to do is negatively impact the sandbar,” Collins said. “We want to promote the sandbar. We want to make it safer.”
