Posted on September 13, 2016
By Rick Adams, MySuncoast
Longboat Key officials will soon be deciding if dredging will take place at any of the island’s canals.
It seems as if around every corner on Longboat Key, there is a canal. And if town officials have their way, they’ll have ongoing maintenance of the canals to prevent future problems.
Dr. Manuel Garcia and his wife moved to Longboat Key 16 years ago, and along with the move they became boat owners. Garcia says the ongoing maintenance of the area’s waterways would be a good thing. A while back his boat actually got stuck in a sandbar.
“It was not a good experience because when I got stuck it was in the afternoon, the tide was going down so it was hard to get my boat out,” he said.
Boats getting stuck is one of the problems the town is looking to avoid; another is making sure the stormwater outpours are clear.
Dennis Matthews, director of marine operations for the Longboat Key Club Moorings Marina., deals with hundreds of boats. He tells us since boating is a way of life here, it’s important to do whatever it takes to keep the boaters happy and safe.
“I think it’s a great idea. There’s always moving tide and things that will clog an inlet or entrance to an inlet or something like that,” said Matthews.
Public works officials tell us an engineering company has been checking out the depths of the canals and inlets. It could be decided before the end of the year if canal dredging is the best way to go. The work could cost millions of dollars. Town officials are also looking at where that money would come from.
Next up in all this — a report from the engineering firm will be presented to commissioners sometime this fall.
Source: MySuncoast
